Everton hope to finalise a season-long loan deal for Ghanaian soccer player and Chelsea winger Christian Atsu over the weekend. Greg O’Keeffe, the Everton correspondent for the Liverpool Echo, mentioned in a tweet on Friday that Chelsea and Everton are ‘very close’ on closing the Ghana winger Christian Atsu’s deal.

#Everton's loan deal for Ghana & Chelsea winger Christian Atsu is not done yet but I'm told it's "very close". #EFC #CFC — Greg O'Keeffe (@GregOK) August 1, 2014



Atsu makes a great deal of sense for the Everton Football Club as a replacement for Gerard Deulofeu — he’s an exciting young winger who can beat his direct opponent and then cause havoc.

Atsu’s stock is up in a big way thanks to a good year at Vitesse and then some excellent performances at the World Cup, and a Premier League loan represents a chance for him to really show off what he can do.

Sunderland and Aston Villa were among 12 clubs interested in Atsu, but it appears Martinez has convinced him his immediate future lies at Everton.