Everton nabs Idrissa Gueye after exercising Villa release clause

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Everton has landed Idrissa Gueye from Aston Villa after meeting the reported £7.1-million release clause written into the midfielder's contract.

The Senegalese has signed a four-year contract on Merseyside and becomes the inaugural first-team outfield player to sign for the Toffees this summer.

(Courtesy: @Everton)

"I am very happy to be here at Everton and I am very happy and excited to put on the blue shirt to start the new season here," said Gueye.

"Everton is a big team with big players and great fans. The manager told me he is very happy to have me here and that we will have time to talk about football after.

"I am a defensive midfield player and I like making passes and also getting forward."

Aston Villa finished bottom place in the Premier League last season but Gueye was a rare positive as the Birmingham outfit suffered its first relegation into the second tier since 1987.

The 26-year-old missed just three league matches in 2015-16, and proved himself to have unrivalled concentration and productivity in the Villa ranks as his team-topping interceptions, tackles, and passes per game attest.

He moved to Villa Park from Ligue 1's Lille last summer, and promptly admitted he was going to use his new employer as a stepping stone to a "big club."

Now at Everton, reinvigorated by the money of new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and by the fresh appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager, it seems Gueye has got his wish.

The Toffees round out their preseason commitments with friendlies against Manchester United and Espanyol, before kicking off the Premier League campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on Aug. 13.