Everton Receive Boost in the Hunt for Promising Youngster After Player Rejects New QPR Contract
Everton have been given a fresh boost in the race to sign promising youngster Josh Bowler after the teenager rejected a new contract offer from Queens Park Rangers.
Sky Sports report that the Toffees are preparing a second bid for the winger after seeing an initial bid of £1.5m rising to £3m rejected.
Bowler only signed professional terms with the club in February and made his first-team debut as a substitute during QPR's 4-0 loss to Norwich on the final day of the season.
He is under contract until 2018 with the Championship side, but QPR may be willing to sell if he does not commit his long-term future to the club.
It is understood that Bowler turned down a three-year deal with the London club and the latest contract snub suggests that a move to the Premier League is a likely destination for the 18-year-old.
Toffees manager Ronald Koeman has been targeting young talent as he attempts to assemble a team made up of young British talent. Koeman previously brought Tom Davis in to the first-team from the youth academy during an impressive breakthrough season and signed 19-year-old Ademola Lookman from Charlton Athletic back in January.
Bowler plays predominantly as a right-winger but can also play on the opposite flank - he scored six goals at Under-18 level last year before penning his first professional deal in the second half of the season.
Bowler joined QPR after being released by fellow Championship club Fulham in 2013.
