Coventry City Eyeing Everton Striker Ellis Simms in Potential £7m-£10m Deal
Coventry City are reportedly interested in signing Everton striker Ellis Simms on a permanent deal, with the Championship side valuing the 22-year-old academy product at between £7m and £10m. This comes as Coventry’s current striker Viktor Gyokeres is being linked with a £18.5m move to Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.
Simms spent the first half of last season on loan at Sunderland, scoring seven goals, and netted once in 11 games after returning to Everton in January. He was not seen with the group of Everton first-team players who returned for pre-season training on Thursday, amid talk of a move away.
The Toffees are undergoing an overhaul after surviving in the Premier League on the final day, with the acquisition of a striker a priority after the side scored only 34 goals in 38 games last season. This has led to speculation that Everton have made a bid for Almeria’s 21-year-old frontman El Bilal Toure, who has a 40 million Euros (£34.3m) release clause.
Coventry City’s Search for a Striker
Coventry City are looking to replace Gyokeres, who scored 23 goals last season as the Sky Blues were beaten by Luton in the Championship play-off final on penalties. The club are hoping that Simms can fill the void left by Gyokeres and help them to gain promotion to the Premier League.
Simms has been impressive in his loan spells away from Everton, and has shown that he can be a reliable goalscorer. He has also shown that he is capable of playing at a higher level, having been part of Sunderland’s promotion campaign last season.
Simms is also a product of Everton’s academy, which could make him an attractive option for Coventry City. He is familiar with the club’s style of play and could fit in well with the team.
Everton’s Transfer Activity
Everton have already seen some of their players leave this summer, with Tom Davies, Yerry Mina, Andros Townsend and Asmir Begovic all departing after their contracts expired. Loan deals for Conor Coady and Ruben Vinagre have not been made permanent either.
The Toffees have also been linked with several players this summer, including El Bilal Toure from Almeria and Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard. It remains to be seen if they will make any more signings before the transfer window closes.
Conclusion
Coventry City are reportedly interested in signing Ellis Simms from Everton on a permanent deal this summer. Simms spent the first half of last season on loan at Sunderland, scoring seven goals, and has shown that he can be a reliable goalscorer at a higher level. He could be the perfect replacement for Viktor Gyokeres, who is being linked with a move to Sporting Lisbon.
Meanwhile, Everton have already seen some of their players leave this summer and have been linked with several players, including El Bilal Toure from Almeria and Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard. It remains to be seen if they will make any more signings before the transfer window closes.