Former £25m Everton star makes return to English football after signing for Championship side

Former Everton winger Yannick Bolasie has returned to English football after signing a short-term-deal with Swansea City.

Bolasie, 34, has been a free agent ever since leaving Turkish club Caykur Rizespor at the end of last season. He enjoyed a strong season last year in the second-tier of Turkish football, netting 18 goals and providing three assists in 28 games in all competitions.

Swansea manager Michael Duff spoke on the deal which saw Bolasie initially impress after training with the squad across the last week: "He's been in, he's looked good. It'll be a two-month deal and we'll see how it goes from there.

"We need bodies in the building, we need help. We're not in a position where we can cherry pick the exact player we want."

Bolasie joined Everton from Crystal Palace in 2016 for a £25m after playing 144 times for the Eagles and earning a strong reputation as one of the most exciting wingers to watch in the Premier League.

However, his time at Everton was incredibly difficult and failed to take off - as he managed just two goals and four assists in 32 games.

A cruciate ligament tear suffered at the end of his first season plagued his time at the club and he then spent the rest of his time out on loan at Aston Villa, Anderlecht, Sporting and Middlesbrough - before then being allowed to leave on a free in 2021 to join the Turkish side.

He now returns to a league where he has played 118 times where he scored ten goals and provided 18 assists. Bolasie could make his debut as early as Wednesday, as Swansea face Leeds, and his deal is understood to run until the end of January 2024.