Everton join hunt for Danny Ings as striker refuses to sign contract extension – report
Everton have joined the hunt for Southampton striker Danny Ings who is currently refusing to sign a new deal, according to 90Min.
The 28-year-old has 18 months remaining on his current St Marys’ deal as he attracts interest from plenty of Premier League clubs.
90Min claim that the England striker is refusing to sign a new deal as he wants to play for a club who are challenging for a space in the Champions League.
According to the report, two teams who are challenging for a top-four spot this season in Leicester and Everton are said to have ignited interest in one of the Premier League’s deadliest strikers.
If the Saints cannot convince Ings to sign a new deal then they may be forced to sell him so they don’t miss out on a substantial fee for the man who scored 22 league goals last season.
Of course, Ings is formerly of Liverpool so him moving to the opposite side of Stanley Park may not go down well with our Merseyside neighbours.
Marcel Brands has stated that the Blues won’t be doing any business this month so if we are indeed interested in signing Ings, the club may not make a move until the summer.
By that point, the 28-year-old will have less than a year to run on his contract but he could still set the club back a sizeable fee as he is easily Ralph Hassenhuttl’s most vital player.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin needs back-up with Cenk Tosun currently failing to impress and the signature of Ings would certainly provide that competition.
That could be an issue as Carlo Ancelotti only plays with one striker and if Ings signed then the Italian would somehow have to accommodate two of the best strikers in the country in a team that only uses one striker.
If the club qualifies for the Champions League then there will be plenty of games to play and the rotation required to play all of those games would give DCL and Ings plenty of playing time.
Ings is a fantastic striker and it would be a huge statement if we were able to capture him.
If the club look to spend big again in the summer of 2021 then maybe The Professor can work his magic and convince the deadly striker to join his Everton project.
In other Everton news, Kevin Campbell has delivered his verdict on the decision to loan out Jarrad Branthwaite.