Everton have completed the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea.
The midfielder penned a five-year contract at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Wednesday to bring his 12-month spell with the new Club World Cup winners to an ended.
Dewsbury-Hall’s move to the Blues is set to cost an initial £25 million but could rise to £28M after becoming the club’s fifth arrival of the summer transfer window.
The 26-year-old is expected to make his unofficial debut as David Moyes’ side round off their pre-season preparations against Roma on Saturday afternoon.
And the Everton boss has revealed that Dewsbury-Hall’s decision to move to Merseyside came amid interest from several unnamed potential suitors.
“We are pleased that Kiernan has chosen to join Everton,” said Moyes.
“He had other clubs interested in signing him but he was excited by the opportunity and the challenge at Everton.
“Kiernan’s quality and experience of the Premier League gives us the hope that he can adapt quickly.
“We look forward to working with him and I’m sure all Evertonians will give him the support he needs.”
Dewbury-Hall follows Adam Aznou, Mark Travers, Thierno Barry and Charly Alcaraz in joining Everton’s ranks ahead of what promises to be a monumental campaign.
He said: “For me to leave my old club, it would have had to have been for something special, a project that I really believed in.
“After speaking to the manager and seeing the ambitions with the new stadium and everything, it felt like the right club, it felt like the right fit for me for the next step.
“[Moyes] said he’s been admiring me for a while; he loves the way I play and just explained to me what he sees me doing in my role in this team. That’s what you want to hear as a player.
“I have enormous respect for him, he’s a legend of the game, so it’ll be a pleasure to work under him.”