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The unlikely transfer deal between two of the most broke teams in British football looks set for completion, as Everton have agreed a £8 million fee for Rangers' Nikica Jelavic.

Everton have been keen to bring in a free-scoring forward for quite some time now but it took the £5 million sale of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov earlier this month to free up funds for the cash-strapped club.

In the past fortnight Everton have been strongly linked to Irish striker Kevin Doyle yet Toffees boss David Moyes has instead plumped for Croatian international Jelavic.

The 26-year-old's expected departure today is sure to be a heavy blow for the SPL champions, as Jelavic has hit the net for Rangers 17 times this season from 28 appearances.

Though Jelavic's fee is believed to have been agreed by both clubs, Moyes was tight-lipped today in his pre-match press conference ahead of tonight's tough home clash against Manchester City. "I never talk about players at other clubs, I wouldn't do that," he said.

It has been an unusually busy transfer window for Everton, as they already signed Irish international Darron Gibson this month, while LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan rejoined the club on loan after a similar deal in 2010.

The only stumbling block for Jelavic's transfer would be a renewed bid from West Ham, who had a £7 million offer rejected for the player's services in the past week.