Hearts table offer for Everton midfielder Beni Baningime
Scottish Premiership side Hearts have made an offer for 22-year-old Everton midfielder Beni Baningime, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Baningime joined the Blues at the age of nine and made his debut during a League Cup clash against Chelsea in October 2017, before making his Premier League bow versus Leicester City in the same month.
He made 12 appearances during the 2017/18 season, but he has failed to add to that tally since, enduring two unsuccessful loan spells in the Championship at Wigan Athletic [2018/19] and Derby County [2020/21].
The central midfielder is now in the final year of his Everton contract and new Blues boss Rafa Benitez left him out of the club’s pre-season tour of the US after working with him at Finch Farm.
Hearts, who recently employed former Everton attacker Steven Naismith as football development manager, want to sign Baningime on a permanent basis.
Phased out
Baningime looked destined for big things when he made his Blues debut in 2017, but as is the case with a lot of young players, his fledgling career has started to fizzle out.
A number of injuries have contributed to his demise on Merseyside, and even linking up with former teammate Wayne Rooney at Derby could not inspire him to come back to form.
The finer details of Hearts’ bid have not been disclosed, but it’s unlikely that he would cost much of a fee at all, and the Blues will just be glad to get rid of an unwanted player from the squad as they look to make small cuts.
It looks like being a tough road back to the Premier League for Baningime, but if he can steer clear of injuries, then there’s no knowing what heights he can hit.
In other Everton news, the Blues are in work permit talks over a deal for this Dutch defender who was seen at Finch Farm recently.
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