Everton face Premier League competition for Metz midfielder Sarr
Everton have joined Chelsea and Newcastle in pursuing Metz starlet Pape Matar Sarr, according to a report from France.
The 18-year old midfielder began the season on the edge of the first-team in Ligue 1, however he has quickly become a regular league starter for the Maroons.
Having only arrived from Generation Foot in Senegal last summer, Sarr has seen his stock dramatically rise over the course of the current campaign.
L’Equipe report that while Sarr had been followed by English clubs during his time in Senegal, that interest has now spiked even further with Everton the latest club to enter the race.
Sarr is also said to be attracting interest from within France, with L’Equipe claiming OGC Nice would be willing to offer £10.4million (€12million) in order to secure the midfielder’s long-term services.
There has been plenty of speculation over the last few months relating to Everton’s pursuit of a midfielder, with Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot most heavily linked, and Sarr could now be seen as a cheaper alternative.
Well regarded
Everton’s many injury issues this season have shown just how fallible their squad can be without proper depth to support Carlo Ancelotti’s first-team.
On paper Everton have a fair few midfielders in the squad, but after just one or two injuries the depth in that position does get stretched thin.
Furthermore Fabian Delph’s future at Goodison Park is far from secure, and as such it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Toffees sign a midfielder in the summer.
Ancelotti recently explained that injured midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin would not need to be replaced in the summer, effectively ruling out a move for another player in that position, but we aren’t too convinced that he’s drawn a line in the sand.
If Gbamin was removed from the equation Everton could still stand to see their depth improve, and someone as young and promising as Sarr would fit the profile for what Ancelotti and Marcel Brands are looking for.
Former Blue Idrissa Gueye recently gave Sarr his seal of approval, explaining that he admires the young talent, and his word is good enough for us.
However we still wouldn’t hold our breathe on this one, but you just never know.
In other Everton news, Ancelotti ready to give greenlight to mega-money swap deal.
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