• Scotland striker to sign contract as free agent
• Everton deal for Croatia's Danijel Pranjic 'very close'
Steven Naismith is expected to join the exodus from Charles Green's newco Rangers this week and complete a free transfer to Everton.
The Scotland international was one of the first Rangers players to object to their contracts being transferred to Green's company and Goodison Park is his preferred destination as a free agent.
Everton have denied reports that the 25-year-old passed a medical on Merseyside at the weekend – the forward suffered a second cruciate ligament injury in November – but talks have progressed and the manager David Moyes hopes to add Naismith to his squad before pre-season training commences on Thursday.
Green, the Rangers chief executive, has threatened to sue players who leave Ibrox on free transfers and seek damages from the clubs who sign them. But that has not deterred Steven Whittaker from joining Norwich City or Kyle Lafferty from signing for the Swiss club Sion, and Naismith is likely to be the next departure.
Moyes was interested in Naismith before signing his former Rangers strike partner Nikica Jelavic in January and the Croatian has given the Scot a glowing reference. Several Premier League clubs are keen on the former Kilmarnock striker but the chance of a reunion with Jelavic, and the former Rangers captain David Weir, now a coach at Everton, is swaying Naismith towards Goodison.
The Croatia international Danijel Pranjic has also been linked with a free transfer to Everton following his release by Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old claims a deal could be done this week although Moyes' priority is to strengthen his midfield with the permanent signing of Steven Pienaar, who shone on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last season but may be priced beyond Everton's reach.
Pranjic told the Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti: "I am honoured that such a successful coach wants to sign me, and would be honoured to play for a club like Everton with such a rich history. We were very close to completing a deal in January, but then Bayern prevented it going through. I can't say that everything is finished, but next week I'm expecting some concrete developments."
Moyes has to sell before he can buy players in the Pienaar price-bracket this summer but Leighton Baines, a potential revenue source wanted by Manchester United, has not been subject of an official approach from Old Trafford so far.
Baines confirmed: "I've got three years still to go on my contract. I don't think it does anyone any harm to be linked with a club like Manchester United. But it doesn't do any good either.
"It is just one of those things. It tends to swing around at this time of the year. People put two and two together sometimes they get four and sometimes they get three or five. It gets other people more excited than those involved." Read More
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