Johnson heads for Fulham

Pa
Monday 28 July 2008 07:31 EDT
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Everton striker Andrew Johnson was undergoing a medical at Fulham today ahead of a planned £12m transfer.

The sale of 27-year-old Johnson would give Everton boss David Moyes the funds to try again for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho.

Moyes has failed with an initial £11.8m bid for the 21-year-old Portugal international, with Sporting seemingly insisting on a £20m deal.

Everton are unlikely to be prepared to go that high, but the sale of Johnson to the west Londoners would certainly help boost Moyes' transfer budget.

Johnson's career at Everton virtually ended last week when he is believed to have been reluctant to play in a friendly at Preston when he heard a move to Fulham was imminent.

Although Everton chief executive Keith Wyness denied at the time that a bid had been received from Fulham, Johnson's days at Goodison Park have been numbered ever since an angry exchange with Moyes at Deepdale.

Johnson did not travel to Chicago with the rest of the Everton squad last night, heightening the prospect of a move. The England international is believed to want a return to London for family reasons.

Now Johnson has traveled to Craven Cottage for a medical and Fulham will have to break their transfer record to sign him. Fulham paid £11.5m to Lyon for Steve Marlet in 2001.

Everton will now certainly improve their bid for Moutinho, who expressed a desire to join the club after Sporting's home friendly with Blackburn on Saturday.

Moutinho said: "Everton have already made a proposal, but Sporting did not accept. We will now see what happens in the next few days.

"But Sporting already know my will, I have already transmitted it to the people here. What is my will? With the reasons that I have, I want to leave Sporting and I hope an agreement can be found and that a good solution can be found for both parties."

Everton play Chicago Fire on Wednesday and Colorado Rapids on Sunday. If Moutinho's move is concluded, he could be unveiled in the home friendly against PSV Eindhoven on 9 August.

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