Queens Park Rangers chief Les Ferdinand failed in attempts to keep Josh Bowler from Everton

Queens Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand tried to convince Everton-bound Josh Bowler to remain with the Championship outfit but his efforts ultimately proved to be unsuccessful.

The 18-year-old is believed to be having a medical on Merseyside ahead of his £4.25m switch to Everton, who have shown their intent to bolster both Ronald's Koeman's senior squad and David Unsworth's Premier League 2 winning Under-23 side this summer.

Koeman has already signed Michael Keane, Jordan Pickford, Henry Onyekuru, Sandro Ramirez and Davy Klaassen, while Unsworth has welcomed young French forward Boris Mathis and Holland starlet Nathangelo Markelo into his impressive set-up, with QPR's Bowler set to be his next recruit.

The teenager, released by Fulham four years ago, is unlikely to be drafted into Everton's first-team during the upcoming campaign and Ferdinand tried to explain to him and his father that he would be have more chance of playing for QPR's senior squad this season. But the former Newcastle United hitman's pleas did not prove fruitful, with the financial muscle boasted by the Blues proving too strong to resist.

"I had a chat with Josh and his dad in May and told him that he would play for our first team quicker than Everton's," Ferdinand told the Evening Standard.

"I made all the points about the advantages of being here at QPR and hoped it resonated with him. We hoped to keep hold of him, but when a Premier League club comes knocking on the door, they have the finances to make a move."

Bowler will certainly not be the last new signing at Finch Farm this summer. Everton are pursuing deals for Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud and Swansea City playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson as they to rebuild their attack without Romelu Lukaku, who is set to move to Old Trafford in a deal worth around £90m.