SSC Napoli midfielder Allan has said his goodbyes to his friends in Naples ahead of travelling to England to complete his summer transfer to Everton, according to Calcio Napoli 24.
Allan has been a player seemingly high on head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s shopping list since the Italian’s arrival at the helm, with the boss alleged to have courted his former midfield enforcer since the January window and now seems to have finally secured his man.
The 29-year-old is understood to have skipped training at Napoli’s Castel di Sangro facilities over the weekend to meet with friends for a ‘farewell lunch’ at the well-known restaurant of chef Giuseppe Bruno before travelling to England.
Allan is pictured at the Bobo venue, while the report adds that the nine-time Brazil international has further bid goodbye to his Napoli teammates ahead of ending a five-year association with the Serie A side.
Formal confirmation of Allan’s move is believed to be ‘imminent’ with a deal now considered ‘fact’, following reports of a ‘total agreement’ between Everton and Napoli after Director of Football Marcel Brands agreed to pay €25million (£22.3m) plus additional bonuses.
Personal terms are understood to have already been agreed, too, with Allan now due to arrive on Merseyside for his medical before being unveiled as Ancelotti’s latest recruit.
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Everton signing Allan for a base fee in the region of €25m should be seen as very good business by Brands, as it secures Ancelotti the midfield enforcer he has coveted since his arrival at Goodison Park without the Blues needing to break the bank.
Allan will add a wealth of experience to the role and offer a step up in quality from the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies and Fabian Delph, who we have seen shackled to the defensive midfield position in recent years.
While Allan recorded an average 62.2 touches, 37.8 accurate passes, 3.8 tackles, 1.7 clearances and a whopping 6.3 ground duels won a game in the Serie A last term, Schneiderlin registered the most passes (32.2), tackles (2.07) and clearances (1.27) of the aforementioned Toffees trio while Delph recorded the most successful ground duels (3.38), per SofaScore data.