Report: 'Excellent' Everton ace the subject of transfer race, he's been offered 25% salary hike

Everton’s Cenk Tosun is the subject of a ‘transfer war’ between Super Lig outfit Besiktas and Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal, according to Turkish news outlet Takvim. 

It was Besiktas who sold the Turkey striker to Everton for £27m back in January 2018. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract upon his arrival at Goodison Park, and that deal is due to expire this summer, leaving him free to negotiate pre-contract terms with foreign clubs.

Tosun, who was out until November after suffering a patella rupture, has played a mere 11 minutes of football for the Toffees this season. He did feature in the matchday squad last weekend against Leeds United, but Frank Lampard left him on the bench.

As per Takvim, Al-Hilal have reportedly offered Tosun a two-year contract worth €5m (£4.2m) per year, which comes to approximately £80,500 per week. That would be a healthy 25% increase on the £60,000-a- week he is currently earning at Everton.

However, Besitkas, are also determined to bring him back and will ‘use all their trump cards’ in a bid to do so.

Tosun is expected to make a decision on his next destination in June, although it seems that staying at Everton is out of the question.

It’s hard to dress up the signing of Tosun as anything other than a comprehensive failure.

The 30-year-old ranks among Everton’s top 20 most expensive signings but he has only made 61 appearances in four years, contributing a mere 11 goals.

Sam Allardyce, the Blues’ manager at the time, confidently declared that Tosun was the ‘best in Europe’ in his price bracket. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish also dubbed him an ‘excellent’ player after he sealed a loan move to Selhurst Park in 2020, but it simply hasn’t worked out for the striker in England.

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