Everton to sign Nigeria eligible star from Sunderland

The Toffees have beaten a host of other clubs to the signing of the highly-rated youngster from League One side Sunderland

Everton are close to completing the signing of Nigeria-eligible forward Francis Okoronkwo from Sunderland.

According to The Daily Mail, the Toffees will pay £1m (₦569m) to take him off the hands of the Black Cats.

Sunderland made moves to keep the young forward after he had an impressive first season in the Premier League Under-18, where he scored three goals and provided a similar number of assists, but they were not successful in their attempt.

The new owner of Sunderland, Swiss trust-fund billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus ensured that he was part of the group that travelled to Wembley for their EFL Trophy Final victory in March, a move to make him feel wanted at the Black Cats.

Okoronkwo has shown a lot of promise, and it's no surprise that Everton were willing to pay the £1m asking price for the 16-year-old.

Once he joins Everton, he will move on to the youth team of the Toffees. Okoronkwo was born in England, but he's of Nigerian descent and eligible to play for the Super Eagles.