£94k-a-week-ex-Everton forward could quit Saudi Arabia & seal Southampton or Bournemouth Premier League return

Former Everton attacker Demarai Gray is potentially set to exit the Saudi Pro League, less than year after joining.

The attacker joined Steven Gerrard’s side Al-Eittifaq for a fee around £10m and went on to net four goals and provide four assists across 25 games in all competitions. Gray’s side finished sixth in the league and exited the cup in the round of 16. Previously, he managed 75 games for Everton, netting 12 times after starring at Birmingham and Leicester City.

He did make 27 starts in the league in the 2022/23 campaign but started just five of the final 10 games during the run-in which prompted him to seek an exit after previously claiming he was ‘totally out of the picture’.

Both Southampton and Bournemouth are considering bringing Gray back to England, according to GiveMeSport. However, he still has three years left to run on his current deal which they claim to be around £94k-a-week. Galatasaray are also said to have registered an interest. However, his three appearances in the Copa America for Jamaica have failed to help drum up interest after three straight defeats.

After the initial Saudi Arabia frenzy last summer, Gray was sucked into the revolution as an Everton exit loomed. Signing in early-September, all of the big-money moves had already become old news as the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante all joined Cristiano Ronaldo in the middle east.

Following his move, it was said that a sell-on-clause does indeed exist within the deal which should keep Everton interested in his potential departure, although it isn’t clear what exactly it is. In the end, his exit soured his relationship with the club as Sean Dyche claimed Gray "didn't want to train" and "didn't want to be here". He responded by posting on social media that "Everton fans have always been great with me but it's so difficult to play for someone who don't show you respect as a person."