Chelsea have stolen a march on rivals Tottenham in the race to sign Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar. The South African midfielder whose contract runs out in the summer, has been the subject of interest from a lot of clubs in Europe. Everton are willing to sell him in the January window rather than letting him go on a free at the end of the season.
David Moyes has said that the club has accepted two bids for Pienaar in the region of around £3 million. Carlo Ancellotti is desperate to sign the dynamic midfielder in order to arrest the slump that might see his side slip out of the top four.
Pienaar joined Everton from Borussia Dortmund in 2007 for £2 million. He has been exceptional for the Toffees and even won the player of the year award last season at Goodison Park. He indicated his desire to leave the Merseyside club when he rejected their offer of a new contract six months ago.
Moyes is hoping to use the funds from the Pienaar sale for purchasing new players in the market. Many players set to exit Goodison as well. Nigerian forward Yakubu became the first player to leave when he joined Championship side Leicester City on loan till the end of the season.
Tottenham have shifted their focus onto FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz who has set the Eredivisie on fire with his goals.