Soccer:Everton have accepted an offer from an unnamed club for midfielder Steven Pienaar. Manager David Moyes has now given the South Africa international permission to discuss a potential move in the current transfer window.
It has been reported today the 28-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has already held talks with Premier League champions Chelsea but those negotiations have broken down. It has also been claimed that Pienaar, who will be available on a free transfer in the summer, will sign a pre-contract agreement with a major European club.
Moyes did not comment on those reports at his weekly press conference today but did confirm Pienaar could soon be leaving Goodison Park. Moyes said: “We have had two offers and one of those offers has been accepted. We have allowed his representatives to speak to the other club, but whether it goes through or not I don’t know yet.”
Pienaar has made a big impact at Everton since signing from Borussia Dortmund in 2007. He was the club’s player of the season last year but the Merseysiders have been unable to tie him to a new contract. It had been suspected that talks with Pienaar had stalled but Moyes admitted today that a contract offer was rejected some time ago, making his departure inevitable.
When asked if Pienaar had decided he wanted to move on, Moyes said: “I think the player probably decided that when he turned down his contract six months or a year ago, whenever it was. But he has done very well for us on the pitch, so we have no complaints.”
Pienaar’s form this season has not matched that of previous years but he remains an important member of Moyes’ side. The club hope they can now recoup a fee for him rather than seeing him run down his contract.
Moyes might appreciate the money having said he has no money to buy players this month and that any new recruits will be loan signings. Striker Ayegbeni Yakubu yesterday became the first high-profile player to move this month, joining Leicester on loan with a view to a permanent deal.
