Report: Norwich City agrees to £8M deal for Everton's Naismith

Norwich City has a deal in place to sign Everton striker Steven Naismith for £8 million in the January transfer window, but the Canaries still face competition from other Premier League clubs, according to Dominic Fifield of the Guardian.

In addition to Norwich, which came close to signing Naismith toward the end of the summer, Sunderland, Swansea City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle are also in the running, according to Fifield. Championship side Middlesbrough has also been keeping tabs on the Scotland international.

Manager Roberto Martinez, who was unwilling to part with Naismith in August, has now reportedly given his blessing to a transfer.

The 29-year-old has made just four Premier League starts this season.

He has, however, still managed to make an impact. Naismith scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Chelsea in September - as a substitute. He had only come on to the pitch because teammate Muhamed Besic fell with a hamstring injury.

Naismith's good standing with the club, and his leadership abilities, was what Martinez didn't want to lose before the campaign began.

"I sat down with him in August and said to him that he was too important to Everton to allow him to go then," said Martinez earlier this month. "The offer of Norwich arrived very late and I couldn't replace him. It was a very honest communication and I said in January we will reassess it."

That time has come.

Norwich, meanwhile, has been searching for a solution in attack. They have scored just 22 goals through 19 Premier League matches without a regular poacher in its ranks.

Norwich signed Dieumerci Mbokani from Dynamo Kiev as a possible fix - and he scored and set up another in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday - but he too has only started four times in the league this season.