Cork defender Jake O'Brien ready for move from Lyon to Everton

YOUGHAL'S Jake O’Brien is set to sign for Premier League side Everton on a five-year deal after one year with Lyon in France.

Fabrizio Romano reports that an agreement has been reached between the two clubs and the defender will undergo a medical this weekend.

O’Brien spent one season with Lyon, and he finished the year by helping the team reach the Coupe de France final, where they lost 2-1 to PSG.

This puts an end to weeks of speculation about the centre-back’s future, a period that saw him linked with a host of top European clubs including Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.

O’Brien was well aware of the rumours, and he confirmed in a recent interview with Joe.ie that he was focusing on Lyon.

“It is hard to say now because we’re in the middle of the transfer window and there’s always going to be speculation and there’s clubs interested and clubs not interested – I think it is that time of the season where clubs speak about you and to you but it is hard to say for now, I’ll go back to Lyon this weekend and go from there,” he told Joe.ie.

“Obviously, it is the strongest league in the world but I’m not in any rush to go there,” O’Brien added.

“The league in France is very strong and it has very promising players in it so and as I said I’m not in any rush to go back there. I’m continuing to get better and developing.” 

RISE

The defender slowly rose to promise in France after signing for Lyon from Crystal Palace, the club that recruited him from Cork City.

Les Gones’ fans weren’t happy with the addition, but O’Brien won them over by scoring the goal which got the club their first win of the season.

This came during a chaotic part of the year that saw three permanent managers installed in four months and the French giants flirt with relegation.

O’Brien’s goal ignited a comeback that ended with Lyon qualifying for the group stage of the UEFA Conference League, and the Coupe de France final.

The centre-back’s work was noticed back home and it led to a first call-up to the Republic of Ireland MNT last March, and he made his debut in a friendly against Hungary last June.

O’Brien will move to an Everton side looking for some stability after a messy summer that saw a proposed takeover of the 9-time English champions fall after months of talks.

This comes after another season where relegation was a real possibility in Liverpool, and Sean Dyche turned things around after a rough start to the year after seeing his side fail to win one of their first four Premier League games.