Aston Villa manager Roberto di Matteo said he expects Idrissa Gueye to join Everton after the English Premier League club triggered a £7.1 million (US$9.4 million) release clause in the midfielder’s contract.
The clause expires at the end of the transfer window, but Everton are the only club to have so far launched a bid.
Villa were relegated from the Premier League last season and then appointed Di Matteo, who on Friday said there was little he could do to stop Gueye leaving the Birmingham club, even though the Italian would like him to stay.
“It’s public Everton have triggered his clause and he’s going to leave,” Di Matteo said. “There’s no news so far, but the expectation is, once personal terms are agreed and a medical [is done], he’s going to go. There are other clubs interested, that’s right, but the only official bid so far has been from Everton.”
Gueye joined Villa from Lille OSC before the start of last season and scored one goal in 38 appearances as the club were relegated from the Premier League, winning just three league matches in the process.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s new German goalkeeper Loris Karius is set to be out for up to 10 weeks with a broken hand suffered in a 1-0 friendly defeat by Chelsea during the club’s US tour, British media reported on Friday.
The 23-year-old, who joined the Reds for £4.7 million from FSV Mainz 05 in May, accidentally punched teammate Dejan Lovren as he came out to clear a cross in Wednesday’s clash in Pasadena, California.
Karius carried on playing despite the damage to his hand sustained just before the hour mark, but was sent for a scan on Thursday which confirmed the fracture.
He was flying back to Britain on Friday and was expected to need an operation, British media reported.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp was expected to start with Karius in their Premier League opener against Arsenal on Aug. 14, but Belgian Simon Mignolet is now likely to keep his place.
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