Everton send delegation to Turkey to complete deal for Cenk Tosun

Everton have sent a delegation to Istanbul in order to complete Cenk Tosun's £25m ($34m) signing from Besiktas amid fears they may miss out on the Turkey striker with a lot of clubs across Europe interested. Roma, Valencia and Red Bull Leipzig are keeping a close eye on the proceedings while Tottenham Hotspur were also reported to be in the hunt.

The Mirror reports that the Toffees have sent a delegation to get the deal over the line which includes director of football Steve Walsh. Manager Sam Allardyce is desperate to bring in a striker and aid his profligate side who have struggled to score goals this season.

Everton, currently ninth in the table, have been on the hunt for a goalscorer to replace Romelu Lukaku since the striker's departure to Manchester United in the summer. The Toffees have struggled to score goals on a consistent basis this season with Wayne Rooney their top scorer with 10 goals in the Premier League. Tosun, who has been earmarked as the man to end their problems up top, netted 14 times this season.

The Turkey international was rumoured to have made his way to the Everton training base on Wednesday (27 December) to complete a medical and agree personal terms but the speculation was scotched by Besiktas.

"There is no offer for Cenk Tosun," said Metin Albayrak, spokesman for the Besiktas board of directors, as quoted by Four Four Two. "We are only learning this from the press, and if an offer comes to us, we will decide."

Everton were also interested in a deal for Olivier Giroud in the summer but the striker refused a move as he wanted to continue his association with Arsenal. The 31-year-old has become a bit-part player at the club following the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette, making only one start thus far in the Premier League. However, Allardyce is not interested in making a move for the Frenchman, having once been rejected in the summer.

"I wouldn't have thought so as he refused to come last time," Allardyce was quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo when asked if Everton were considering a fresh move for Giroud. "As far as I know he doesn't want to move north of Watford, well his wife doesn't want to anyway. It's very important to the wives, believe you me. Normally they are the bosses."