Thierno Barry has said his goodbyes to Villarreal as images appearing to show him signing his Everton contract have appeared online
Everton target Thierno Barry of Villarreal France during. the UEFA Euro U21 match between France and Poland. Photo by Daniel Derajinski/Icon Sport via Getty Images
Everton target Thierno Barry of Villarreal France during. the UEFA Euro U21 match between France and Poland. Photo by Daniel Derajinski/Icon Sport via Getty Images
Thierno Barry has seemingly confirmed he is set to join Everton. The Villarreal forward has posted a farewell message to the club on his Instagram account.
The striker flew in to Merseyside on Tuesday to undergo a medical. The Blues have agreed an initial £27.5 million fee for the forward, who scored 11 goals in La Liga last season and helped Villarreal qualify for the Champions League.
While supporters now wait for official confirmation that the deal has been done, Barry has dropped a huge indication that an announcement is imminent with his emotional social media message.
"It has been a great honour to have worn this shirt," he said. "Thank you for the love you’ve given me since day one, with that beautiful memory of my first goal in the stadium. That’s what gave me the strength to go out fighting every weekend for you.
"I want to thank my teammates for letting me live an incredible year, full of joy and wonderful people I’ve met within the club and the team.
"I thank the mister for trusting me from the first phone call we had, which convinced me to come to Villarreal. Thanks to him, I’ve progressed as a player and as a person, and now I even speak a little Spanish.
"It's been a crazy adventure that has led us to qualifying for the Champions League, and I hope the team goes very far in this competition. See you later."
Football journalist Med Sesay also shared images of Barry that appear to show him signing his contract:
Everton manager David Moyes made no secret of his desire to sign a centre-forward last season, confirming the club were interested in Liam Delap before he eventually joined Chelsea.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin also left the Blues at the end of his contract and the hope will be that Barry - alongside the likes of Beto and Iliman Ndiaye - can add an exciting new dimension to the Everton attack.