Coventry City are allegedly considering a player plus cash deal to sign Everton’s Ellis Simms.
The striker is attracting interest from the Championship club, according to the Daily Mail.
Simms, who spent the first half of last season on loan with Sunderland, is likely to return to the second tier this summer, with the Black Cats eager to bring him back to Wearside.
However, Coventry have become the latest club to battle for his signature and may have an advantage.
Previous reports have claimed that Everton are interested in signing Coventry’s Viktor Gyokeres and they could now use the forward as a pawn in their move for Simms.
Mark Robins’ side are reportedly asking for around £30m for Gyokeres and the Toffees would certainly prefer to pay less if it means offloading Simms in a player plus cash deal.
Simms, who was praised for his ‘unbelievable’ finish when he hit his first Premier League goal last season by Karen Carney, could be available for around £3.5m this summer.
Swansea City have also joined the race to sign the forward, who bagged seven goals during his loan spell with Sunderland.
Coventry City could lead the race to sign Ellis Simms
Sunderland look less and less likely to re-sign Simms as the chase for his signature expands every week.
The Black Cats certainly won’t want to overspend on the 22-year-old, while Coventry may already have a huge advantage over them and other suitors if they can offer up Gyokeres.
Even if the Toffees failed to sign the Swede, Coventry may still look to bring Simms to the Midlands with the profit they make from selling their star man.
It will be a bitter pill to swallow if Simms moves elsewhere in the Championship, however Tony Mowbray’s side will want to steer clear of a transfer saga and look at other options before time runs out.