Everton have signed Ademola Lookman from Charlton Athletic on a four-and-a-half year deal for an initial £7.5 million ($9.25 million) in a deal with add-ons rising to £11 million.

The England Under-20 forward broke into Charlton’s first-team midway through last season and quickly caught the eye with his direct running.

“It feels great to be an Everton player,” the 19-year-old. “As soon as I heard about Everton’s interest I knew this would be the right place for me.

“Everton has a big history and I was also attracted by the manager. When you look at what he did at Southampton, and what he does with young players in terms of developing them, that was a big attraction.

“It was great playing in the Championship last season and for the last six months in League One but I feel like I’m ready to make the step up to the Premier League.”

Ronald Koeman, the Everton manager, said: “Ademola is a big talent and, at 19 years old, he has a big future in the game. I’m really happy that we’ve been able to bring him here to the club.

“This is part of the vision we have for the club and it’s important to give to young players the opportunity so that the team continues to evolve and improve. We believe in the player and in the development of the player which, of course, will take time but he will have a big part to play in the future of the club.”