Samuel Eto'o is "sat on a plane" waiting for clearance to complete his move to Sampdoria, according to the Italian club's president Massimo Ferrero.
The move was stalled by Everton manager Roberto Martinez when he said that it could take two weeks to determine the Cameroonian's future, but Ferrero remains hopeful that the 33-year-old will arrive sooner rather than later, even if he showed more caution than in recent weeks.
"Let's just be prudent and say we're 50 percent, or let's say 51-49," Ferrero told Sky Sport Italia.
Were it up to his club, Eto'o would already be training with his new teammates, but he says he cannot quite understand what is going on at Everton.
"This is a bizarre world in which some things are said and then other things are done," he added. "I'm not really used to this kind of thing, but I'm well trained. I went to London with Claudio [Eto'o's agent Vigorelli] and now there has been this dramatic turn of events with Everton.
"You can't tell who's in charge there, but we're resolving it. Eto'o is already sat on a plane for Italy, just waiting for the engines to be fired up.
"He's a serious person and he has a great desire to come to Sampdoria and we're working on finishing the deal. We're down to the fine details and let God be good to us."
While the wait to finalise the transfer of Eto'o continues, Samp have at least concluded a deal with Udinese for the signing of Luis Muriel, at least according to the player who posted a picture of himself wearing a Blucerchiati shirt on Instagram on Wednesday evening.
"Thanks to everybody who has made this possible, and a thousand thanks to president Massimo Ferrero and my representatives who carried on believing when everything seemed to have been blocked, and led the negotiations to a positive conclusion to make me a Sampdoria player," he wrote.
"Thanks also to Udinese and those people who made my time in Udine so pleasant, and heartfelt thanks to those who believed in me right to the end."