Wilfried Bony Loan to Stoke City, Putting Manolo Gabbiadini Transfer on Life Support

Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony has been loaned to Premier League counterpart Stoke City -- putting Everton's move for Italian forward Manolo Gabbiadini basically out of reach.

As we noted yesterday, multiple reports linked Gabbiadini with a move from Napoli of Italy's Serie A to Everton, with one major caveat -- Napoli wanted to find a replacement attacker before moving him. The man reportedly at the top of their list was Manchester City's Bony, who was widely expected to make a move before today's transfer deadline.

With the Ivorian on his way to join Mark Hughes at Stoke City, however, it is tough to see Napoli lining up another adequate replacement in the next few hours.

Bony himself was linked to a move to Goodison Park earlier in the summer, but those talks never appeared to get off the ground. Instead, he is now headed to a club with a definite need at striker, where he inevitably will play more than he would have at Everton (and probably Napoli, for that matter).

Ronald Koeman has seemed intent on adding one more capable striker to the squad before the transfer window closes, but the Dutchman is beginning to run out of time and options. With Arouna Kone's two goal outburst in the EFL Cup and his recent substitute appearances, it certainly seems possible that Koeman will stick with the Ivorian as his main backup striker option until January.