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Mikel Arteta is set to finally become an Everton player after reducing his wage demands.
His current club Real Sociedad have compromised on the original fee of £2.8million to allow the deal to go through and the former Barcelona youngster will sign as soon as he completes a medical.
The Basque club have financial problems and ever since Arteta's six-month loan spell at Goodison Park finished at the end of the season, Sociedad have been keen to sell the competitive midfielder who made a major impact as Everton qualified for the Champions League.
But because Arteta, 23, was demanding around £33,000 a week, Everton have been stalling on the deal.
However, Sociedad are believed now to have agreed to sell for around £2.2million while Arteta's cash demands have dropped below £30,000 a week, allowing Everton some flexibility on the package.
It is believed Sociedad were never the obstacle, with the former La Liga runners-up willing to negotiate, but Arteta's demands prevented a deal being done.
Arteta is now due back on Merseyside for a medical, which will ease boss David Moyes' problems in the transfer market.
The former Rangers star could well be signed in time to join the squad for Saturday's friendly at Motherwell and is also likely to be on the plane on Sunday when Everton set off for Thailand and the Asia Cup.
Sociedad announced the breakthrough in the negotiations on their website, with a statement that said: 'Talks between Real Sociedad and Everton for the transfer of Arteta are very advanced and we can say that the agreement will be reached in the next few hours.
'Everton have asked the player to travel as soon as possible to Liverpool to pass his medical in order to conclude the transfer.
'Real Sociedad have accepted that and Arteta will not travel to Korea with the rest of his team-mates for the summer tour.'
Over recent weeks Moyes has lost out on Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy, new Liverpool signing Mohamed Sissoko as well as Turkish midfielder Emre, who is joining Newcastle.
So finally completing the Arteta deal will be a weight off Moyes' mind as he tries to bring in other players to boost the Toffees' squad ahead of next month's Champions League third qualifying round.
Meanwhile, Everton have denied that they have made an offer to Brazilian midfielder Anderson Silva da Franca. There had been claims that Everton had turned their attention to the 22 year-old playmaker, offering him a four year deal.
Da Franca spent last season with Spanish La Liga side Racing Santander but is now a free agent.
Everton officials hope the deal for Arteta will go through in the next 48 hours.
Chief executive Keith Wyness told Everton's website: 'Talks with both Real Sociedad and Mikel Arteta have gone well and are continuing. We are hopeful of reaching a satisfactory conclusion within the next 48 hours or so.'
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Former Everton centre-back Alan Stubbs has become Sunderland's seventh signing of the summer after agreeing a 12-month deal, with the option of an extra year at the Stadium of Light.
The 33-year-old left the Toffees at the end of last season after his request for a new two-year contract was turned down and Mick McCarthy has moved to add experience to his defence on the club's return to the Barclays Premiership.
"Alan is a vastly experienced centre-back who played nearly 40 games in the top flight last season for a team that qualified for the Champions League," said McCarthy.
"A player of his proven quality will be a great asset to us. He has leadership skills and being an older head, will have that calming influence on the younger squad members that's so important.
"You need characters like that around the place and I'm thrilled that we've been able to bring him here."
Stubbs added on the club's website, www.safc.com: "I've been impressed with everything about the club.
"The training ground is brilliant and I've played at the Stadium of Light before, it's a fantastic venue.
"I'm very happy to have signed for Sunderland and am looking forward to the season and the challenge ahead.
"I know Sunderland have some good players but they have a young squad and hopefully my experience will help them."
McCarthy has also signed midfielders Tommy Miller and Martin Woods, strikers Jon Stead and Daryl Murphy, goalkeeper Kelvin Davis and defender Nyron Nosworthy this summer, but has been frustrated so far in his search for another forward after failing with bids for Wolves' Kenny Miller and Derby's Gzegorz Rasiak.
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Everton have confirmed they are interested in signing Milan Baros from Barclays Premiership rivals Liverpool.
The strikers days at Anfield appear to be numbered after manager Rafael Benitez admitted he would consider offers for the 23-year-old Czech Republic international.
Aston Villa and West Ham United have already been linked with Baros and Everton chief executive Keith Wyness confirmed Baros was one of a number of strikers they had targeted.
We are looking at a number of different striking options and we are currently reviewing them all, Wyness told the Liverpool Echo.
Baros is one of the names on the list.
Baros has spent three and a half years at Anfield, during which he has scored 27 goals in 106 appearances.
No player has joined Everton from Liverpool since Gary Ablett made the short trip across Stanley Park in 1992.
Nicky Barmby moved in the opposite direction to Liverpool from Everton for £6million in 2000, and Portuguese defender Abel Xavier followed the same route for £800,000 in January 2002.
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Phil Neville stands by for his Everton debut against former club Manchester United as the Toffees continue to include defender Per Kroldrup in their squad despite his need for a hernia operation.
The Denmark defender was on the bench for Tuesdays Champions League qualifying match and will almost certainly take up the same position on Saturday.
Boss David Moyes said: He will need an operation in maybe a week or two after we have got our tough opening schedule out of the way.
Moyes, meanwhile, has vowed to prove his side are more than merely one-season wonders.
The Goodison Park boss prepares for the lunchtime visit of United to Merseyside aware that his team are considered by some to be massive over-achievers after their fourth-place finish last term.
Moyes knows the demands and expectation on his side are now massive, and an opening-day visit of former champions United - and old boy Wayne Rooney - will test his team to the limit.
But the Scot said: My target is to finish higher than we finished last season and to show people that it wasnt a one-off.
And I can assure everyone that it wont be a one-off. We are an improving club, a progressive club. We may not be able to challenge the top boys but we will give it the best shot we can.
People say we over-achieved, I just think that Everton achieved! Whatever anyone says about us, that is what happened, we achieved.
The players achieved great things last season, and people can say what they like but they only need to look at the league table to see what Everton achieved.
And the signing of Neville from United a fortnight ago gave Moyes a further welcome boost.
Moyes added: Phil Neville has been a great help since he arrived. People can already see what a good job he has done and he will be a great asset for us in the future.
He can play in several roles and he is also showing signs of leadership qualities which we are glad to have.
You dont play for England over 50 times, no matter what anyone says about you, if you are not a good player. His passing, working-rate and distribution are all first class.
I have only had him here a few days but he has shown really what we all knew about him. He is from good stock, a great pedigree, and we will be able to use that.
He has shown already that he will be able to talk to players, move them around and organise. But everyone already knew he had that in him.
Neville believes lessons have been learned from the first-leg loss to Villarreal.
He said: "We need to show the same commitment we showed on Tuesday and make sure we concentrate for the full 90 minutes.
Its fate that my first league game will be at home to United, but its the best-case scenario to get that one out of the way straight away for me personally. In terms of the start for Everton it is a tough one.
Everton beat United here last season when I was on the receiving end, now I hope Everton can beat them again at Goodison.
No team likes coming to Goodison, I know that from an opposing player point of view. Everton have to make it difficult and the bigger picture is now Everton beating Manchester United, and nothing about Phil Neville.
Moyes is confident Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill have recovered from minor knocks suffered during the midweek defeat against Villarreal.
United head to Merseyside lacking only striking duo Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who is nearing the end of his injury nightmare.
You always want to get to the first game with everyone fit, said manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
If you only have one or two missing it is a bonus.
Ryan Giggs, Wes Brown and Quinton Fortune all return to the squad which defeated Debrecen in midweek, while Park Ji-Sung is pushing for a debut.
With Gabriel Heinze still being eased back following his extended summer break, though, Ferguson is expected to field an unchanged line-up.
United lost at Everton - and had Paul Scholes and Gary Neville sent off in the process - at the back end of last season. But, with Chelsea and Arsenal losing just once between them in the previous two championship-winning seasons, the United camp know they dare not suffer a repeat defeat to Moyes progressive outfit.
It is bizarre going into the first game thinking you cannot afford to lose but that is how far the standards have been raised, said defender John OShea.
We have gone into seasons past, had a poor start and still gone on to win the league.
But we got 41 points out of 45 at one stage last year. If that is not championship form I dont know what is but we still didnt get close to Chelsea, so we must do better.
Defender Mikael Silvestre has claimed anyone not hungry for success after two successive third-place finishes has no future at Old Trafford.
Silvestre, veteran of three championship triumphs with United, feels the desire in the dressing room is greater than it has ever been.
"If we are not hungry after what happened last season, we might as well stop playing for Manchester United," Silvestre told MUTV.
"We have to, we will react and be angry again.''
Everton (from): Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Pistone, Neville, McFadden, Cahill, Arteta, Kilbane, Ferguson, Beattie, Bent, Davies, Wright, Kroldrup, Vaughan, Osman, Li Tie.
Manchester United (from): van der Sar, Howard, G Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Fortune, Heinze, OShea, Fletcher, Fortune, Ronaldo, Keane, Park, Scholes, Giggs, Miller, van Nistelrooy, Smith, Rooney.
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