Everton agree £40m fee for Monaco striker Balogun

Everton have agreed a £40m deal for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun.

The Toffees want to strengthen their forward line before Tuesday's transfer deadline, with Balogun, 25, and Tottenham's Richarlison among their targets.

Brazil forward Richarlison, 29, is believed to have reservations about returning to Everton, the club he left to join Spurs in 2022.

But Everton have pressed ahead with their interest in United States striker Balogun, who left boyhood club Arsenal to join French side Monaco in 2023.

Balogun has scored 31 goals in 91 matches across all competitions for the Ligue 1 team, while he has 12 goals from 31 caps for the USA.

Tottenham had agreed with Everton on Friday evening for Senegal winger Iliman Ndiaye, 26, to join the London club, with Richarlison moving the other way in a separate transfer.

However, sources are indicating Richarlison failed to agree personal terms with former club Everton, who are understood to have made a £35m offer for him.

Manchester City have subsequently agreed a deal worth up to £65m for Ndiaye.

Balogun was at the centre of a major controversy during this summer's World Cup, after he was dismissed for serious foul play against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 32 match and should have received an automatic suspension.

However, Fifa's disciplinary committee suspended his ban for a year - a decision that prompted widespread condemnation, particularly when it emerged US President Donald Trump and White House officials had lobbied football's world governing body about the American's sanction., external

Balogun, who scored three goals at the World Cup, was able to start the USA's last-16 defeat by Belgium - a decision European football's governing body Uefa called "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable".

The head of Fifa's disciplinary committee refused to answer BBC questions about the decision-making process which led to Balogun avoiding a ban.

Meanwhile, Fifa president Gianni Infantino denied having influence over disciplinary decisions.