Everton ready to cash in on key man to finance Wilson wish

A report in The Sun suggests that Everton are ready to spend big in order to force Bournemouth to sell star striker Callum Wilson this summer.

The Toffees finished their first season under Marco Silva just outside of the European places but the Portuguese boss believes that his side are a striker away from pushing for a top six finish.

Both of their record signings over the past two summers have certainly chipped in, with Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson ending the Premier League campaign as joint-top scorers for the club on 13, but in terms of central strikers, goals have been thin on the ground.

Youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin ended the campaign with six to his name while Turkey international Cent Tosun managed just three.

Wilson, by comparison, enjoyed his best Premier League campaign by a distance, scoring 14 goals but also assisting nine, and his ability to bring others into play as well as find the net himself has led to a £35m fee being touted.

As such, Everton may be forced into a notable sale in order to finance such a move, with Idrissa Gueye among those that may be allowed to leave. The Merseysiders refused to sell the Senegal international to Paris Saint-Germain in January - which the midfielder admitted was a disappointment - so the club may cash in now the season is over.

The Toffees would be able to make a substantial profit on the £7m spent on the ball winners services from Aston Villa and will be looking for over five times that amount to sanction his departure.