Everton will make Maarten Stekelenburg the first signing of Ronald Koeman’s tenure in the next 24 hours.
A deal to bring the experienced Dutch goalkeeper to Goodison Park from Fulham is nearing completion and is understood to stand in the region of £1 million.
Koeman has turned to his compatriot, who worked with him across two spells at Southampton and Ajax, in efforts to address the Blues’ current defensive problems.
Tim Howard’s departure to the Colorado Rapids has seen Joel Robles stand unchallenged as Everton’s first-choice goalkeeper but the arrival of Stekelenburg is set to change that.
The 33-year-old will challenge both Robles and another first-team stopper on Koeman’s radar, widely thought to be Newcastle’s Tim Krul, from next season.