Football: Everton seek Sosa in quest for firepower: Walker moves for Uruguayan while Evans prepares to follow him into transfer market with pounds 9m to spend

EVERTON, whose inability to score last season dragged them miss by miss to the brink of Premiership relegation, are ready to make a pounds 3m offer for Internazionale's Ruben Sosa.

The 28-year-old Uruguayan striker's solicitor confirmed last night that the Merseyside club had discussed a transfer with the Italians and an offer is expected to be made imminently. It will follow the pounds 2.2m acquisition of the midfield player Vinny Samways from Tottenham on Tuesday.

'I know a fair bit about Sosa,' Mike Walker, the Everton manager, said, 'from when I was at Norwich because we played Inter Milan in last year's Uefa Cup. It's no secret I've been looking at strikers. I thought our first signing this summer might have been a forward, but we also need more subtlety and variation in the team and Vinny Samways will give us that.'

Everton, whose tally of 42 goals was better only than Manchester City's 38 in the Premiership last season, failed to sign Sweden's Martin Dahlin earlier in the close season, while they have also been linked with the German Oliver Bierhoff, who plays for Italian Serie B club Ascoli, and Eintracht Frankfurt's Ghanaian striker Daniel Yeboah. There is also a lingering rumour that they are interested in bringing their former striker, Blackburn's Mike Newell, back to Goodison.

'I hope there will be more transfers to follow,' Peter Johnson, the Everton chairman, said when Samways signed. 'Whenever top-class players are available Everton will have their hat in the ring.'

Liverpool's titfer is likely to be in there too after their manager Roy Evans was given the go-ahead to spend pounds 9m. The cash from new shares - the chairman David Moores has lifted his holding from 21 per cent to a 57.27 per cent interest - will also be used to fund the pounds 11m redevelopment of the Kop and Anfield Road ends of the ground.

Liverpool are reported to be interested in the pounds 2m Portsmouth defender Kit Symons, while Evans has also inquired about Coventry's Phil Babb and Bolton's Alan Stubbs.

Tottenham took their spending in the last fortnight to pounds 6m yesterday when they paid the Football Association pounds 1.5m to settle the fine imposed after the recent irregular payments inquiry.

A spokesman for the club chairman Alan Sugar, insisted, however, that this did not necessarily mean that Spurs have decided against challenging their FA Cup ban and six-points Premiership deduction in the High Court.

The situation should become clearer today when Sugar flies back from the Mediterranean for the unveiling of his latest recruit Jurgen Klinsmann, signed last week for pounds 2m from Monaco.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian striker Muller blamed his Sao Paulo club directors for blocking a possible move to Spurs, according to a newspaper report yesterday. 'They (the directors) were slow to make a decision so Tottenham signed Klinsmann and I lost the chance to go back to Europe,' he told the Estado de Sao Paulo daily.

One Brazilian striker who did move was Ronaldo, the 17-year-old who is labouring under the tag 'the next Pele'. He left Cruzeiro in a pounds 4m deal to join PSV Eindhoven, where he will follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Romario, who played for the Dutch club until last season.

Leeds United received written confirmation from the Department of Employment yesterday that the South African striker, Philomen Masinga, has been granted a work permit. Leeds have agreed a fee of pounds 275,000 with the Johannesburg club, Mamelodi Sundowns, for the 25-year-old.

The transfer to Birmingham City of Mark Ward, who spent nine games on loan there at the end of last season, was made permanent yesterday. No fee was disclosed but the Second Division club say the package will cost them pounds 500,000 over two years.

Tony Adcock, the leading scorer at Peterborough for the last two seasons, signed for First Division Luton for 'a nominal fee', while Leicester, Premiership newcomers, discussed terms with Lee Sandford, the out-of-contract Stoke defender.

Stoke, meanwhile, signed a potential replacement, Ray Wallace, on trial following his release by Leeds.