Everton look set to earn an extra £2.2 million from Niels Nkounkou this summer.
FT have reported that Eintracht Frankfurt have agreed a €8.5m fee (£7.3m) with Saint-Etienne for Nkounkou – months after he sealed his departure from Goodison Park.
The full-back joined the Toffees on a free transfer in July 2020 but didn’t make his Premier League debut for a further four months, before managing only one further appearance in the top flight.
After featuring in a total of six matches for Everton, Nkounkou joined Saint-Etienne on loan in January and went onto score six goals and provide seven assists in only 20 appearances in Ligue 2.
The 22-year-old made his stay in France permanent in June, with Everton reportedly raking in around €2m (£1.7m) for his departure. However, they made the smart decision to include a 30 per cent sell-on clause into Nkounkou’s contract.
The clause now looks to become active a lot sooner than expected, with Frankfurt closing in on a £7.3m deal for the defender.
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Saint-Etienne had already turned down a €6m offer from the German club and now look to make a significant profit on Nkounkou, two months after signing him permanently.
It will also be massively beneficial to Everton, who will bring in £2.2m on top of the £1.7m that Saint-Etienne paid them earlier this summer.
Should Everton have given Niels Nkounkou more of a chance?
Niels Nkounkou was limited to only a handful of appearances during his time at Everton and, if he hadn’t arrived on a free transfer, it would have been a very questionable decision.
The Frenchman’s loan spell in Ligue 2 was brilliant and has resulted in the Toffees cashing in just short of £4m, which can now be invested elsewhere.
The quality of Everton’s defence over the last couple of years is a reason to question why Nkounkou couldn’t have fought for his place, though the money they have earned from his exit makes it a very minor issue.
Perhaps fans will think more of ‘what if?’ if he performs well in the Bundesliga, but impressing in the second tier of French football isn’t anything to rave about quite yet.