Everton Set To Make €5m Move For Sporting Lisbon Winger Marat Izmailov

Everton are poised to make a €5million move for Russian star Marat Izmailov, Goal.com UK understands.

David Moyes made an enquiry for the Sporting Lisbon attacking midfielder at the weekend and the Toffees manager will return with a formal offer this week.

Izmailov, 27, is available for a cut-price fee after he fell out with new Sporting coach Paulo Sergio, but that has not cooled Moyes’ interest. The Scot has been tracking the diminutive right-winger since he impressed in Everton's Europa League tie against Sporting in February.

MARAT IZMAILOV | Snapshot BASICS Age Position Club International Contract SEASON STATS Appearances (sub) Goals Yellow Cards Red Cards ANALYSIS Strength Weakness Current Form Estimated Value IN FIVE WORDS 27 Right/left-wing Sporting Russia Until 2013 14 (1) 1 1 1 Dynamism Injury-prone Injured £5m Workaholic winger, pulls the strings

Izmailov was linked with a £10m move to Manchester City earlier in the summer, a fee the Merseysiders would not be able to match. But the player, who was also fined last season for refusing to play a Europa League match against Atletico Madrid, is now available for just €5m (£4.1m) after expressing his desire to leave.

That would suit the Toffees, who have spent only £1.4m on players this summer and have limited funds available to improve a squad that finished eighth in the Premier League last season.

Sources close to the player say the Russia international is keen to push through a move to Goodison Park, where he would link up with countryman Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.

The winger would become Everton’s fourth signing of the summer, following the low profile captures of Jermaine Beckford, Joao Silva, Magaye Gueye and Jan Mucha.
 
Izmailov made his debut for Russia when he was just 19 and has been at Sporting since July 2007, when he joined on a season-long loan from Lokomotiv Moscow before completing a permanent transfer worth €4.5 million (£3.7m).
 
He was a key player in Lokomotiv's golden years under Yuri Semin, winning the Russian League in both 2002 and 2004. However, his career has been blighted by a series of injuries that have stymied his progress.

He is highly regarded at the Alvalade, and Sporting fought off competition from then-Manchester City coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to sign the Russian permanently in 2008 after a successful season on loan in Lisbon.

But Izmailov has had an intermittently-fractious relationship with the Sporting board, and is most recently reported to have crossed swords with no-nonsense director of football Costinha.

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