Bournemouth have moved to replace Dominic Solanke by agreeing a club-record £40m fee for the Porto striker Evanilson.
The Brazilian, who scored 13 league goals in 27 appearances in Portugal last season, is expected to travel to England in the next 24 hours to finalise the move. The 24-year-old made his Brazil debut in June, in a friendly against Mexico.
Solanke joined Tottenham last week for £55m and Andoni Iraola has wasted no time in snapping up his replacement as they prepare to open their season at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Brighton have confirmed the signing of Brajan Gruda for £25m from Mainz and have activated the £40m release clause for the Leeds forward Georginio Rutter.
Gruda, a Germany Under-21s winger, has agreed a four-year deal with Brighton after the 20-year-old’s performances in the Bundesliga impressed Brighton’s new manager, Fabian Hürzeler.
“I wouldn’t say he’s a typical German. He’s like a boy from the street, he likes the ball at his feet. He can do special things like all our offensive players,” said Hürzeler. “He needs time, he’s come from Germany and he’s very young. The Premier League is the best league in the world and we’ll try to integrate him and make him ready for the Premier League.”
Brighton are also hoping to seal the signing of Rutter after meeting his release clause, with the France Under-21s forward now set to decide on his future. “If there is a fit then we’ll see what happens,” said Hürzeler. “I will never say anything.”
after newsletter promotion
Brighton have also confirmed that new signing Ibrahim Osman has joined Feyenoord on loan for the rest of the season.