Fulham midfielder Sean Davis was on Merseyside last night as Everton closed in David Moyes’ top summer transfer target.

The 23 year-old received permission from Fulham to finalise his coveted move to Everton and was soon being shown round Goodison Park by Everton officials. Fulham’s player of the year is said to have verbally agreed a five-year contract and Moyes’ patient pursuit of the former England under-21 international is now almost complete. Middlesbrough still retain an interest in Davis, but the player’s preference is to sign for Everton.

The final hurdle will be a medical – perhaps complicated by the fact that Davis injured his knee during Fulham’s pre-season tour of Austria – but Everton are confident that this should be a formality. Fulham are happy for a £5m deal to proceed after themselves moving closer to signing the Sunderland midfielder Claudio Ranieri, with Chris Coleman revealing to the press yesterday that ‘it is highly unlikely that Sean will be a Fulham player past the transfer deadline’.