BIG SAM SNARES £25m WALCOTT
EVERTON will complete the signing of Theo Walcott from Arsenal today in a deal that could rise to £25million. The 28-year-old England international opted to join Everton, as exclusively revealed by Sportsmail, despite interest from former club Southampton, Bournemouth and West Ham. He arrived at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground yesterday afternoon to have a medical. Talks continued into the evening. Walcott scored 108 goals for Arsenal but has found game time in short supply this season. Everton offered the most attractive financial package to Walcott, understood to be in excess of £110,000 a week, and he could be included in the squad for Saturday’s Premier League game at home to West Brom. Sam Allardyce wants to add pace to his attack and wants Walcott to interchange with Yannick Bolasie and Cenk Tosun. Allardyce also wants a left back, with West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell and Manchester United’s Luke Shaw his ambitious targets. Everton have turned down an initial proposal from Real Betis for striker Sandro Ramirez. Betis proposed a loan with an option of a permanent deal in the summer for £8.8m. Arsenal want Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitarayan and Malcom but are unlikely to sign all three. Aubameyang is believed to have already verbally agreed to join, with Borussia Dortmund interested in Olivier Giroud. Tottenham’s Harry Winks, meanwhile, is out for another fortnight with an ankle injury.