Marquee signing: Bilyaletdinov is an established Russia international and talented winger
It was a long time coming but with Joleon Lescott's sale to Manchester City out the way David Moyes's summer spending finally got underway today with the confirmation from Everton that the Club has signed Diniyar Bilyaletdinov from Lokomotiv Moscow.
An Everton delegation met the 24 year-old winger and officials from the Russian club in Hamburg yesterday — Bilyaletdinov does not yet have a visa to enter the UK but Russian citizens can enter Germany without one — where an undisclosed fee, believed to be £10m, was agreed.
The Russia international also agreed personal terms, passed a medical and with Everton having reportedly cleared the formality of a work permit, a visa is the last hurdle for the player to clear before he can join up with his new teammates.
That's not expected to be until the first week of September when he and his Russian teammates arrive in the UK for a World Cup qualifier against Wales. Bilyaletdinov would be ineligible for the Europa League playoff second leg against Sigma as the Uefa registration deadline has passed and it's unlikely he'll arrive on Merseyside in time to prepare for weekend trip to Wigan.
The estimated £10m outlay represents the third-highest fee that Moyes has spent on a player since becoming Everton manager, behind the £12.9m paid for Marouane Fellaini and the 11.5m it took to acquire Yakubu from Middlesbrough.
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