"?Southampton boss Ronald Koeman appears to be on the verge of a move to Everton this summer, on the basis that he refrains from raiding his former club for players.
The "?Mirror reports that the hard-line Dutch manager will be making the switch to Goodison Park within the next 24 hours following the departure of Roberto Martinez at the end of the season, after what has been described as some 'tough negotiations' over a clause that bans Koeman from bidding for Saints players.
Southampton are reportedly keen to avoid yet another player exodus after a successful year in the Premier League under Koeman, which is why the deal has taken so long to be agreed upon, as representatives look to confirm no risk of key players leaving St. Mary's leading up to the new campaign.
As Everton prepare to pay up to £4m to release Koeman from his current contract with Southampton, they are reluctant to agree to such a clause, with reportedly £100m to spend on new players this summer, as well as the money received from the inevitable sale of Romelu Lukaku, who has signalled his desire to leave the club in search of Champions League Football.
With this war-chest available, Koeman is keen to bring players who helped acquire an impressive top six finish in the league, including England U21 international James Ward-Prowse, and Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, who Koeman brought to Southampton in the last summer transfer window.
The latter appears most likely, with current Everton defender John Stones rumoured to be leaving Goodison this summer, with both Manchester clubs, as well as Chelsea, keen to add the former Barnsley player to their squads after defensively poor campaigns.
The 53-year-old has discussed these two targets with Everton major shareholder
Farhad Moshiri, who will be added to a transfer list that also includes Newcastle midfielder Georgino Wijnaldum, who is said to fear for his international position following the Geordie's relegation to the Championship.