Tottenham make ‘steps forward’ on Pickford – report
Tottenham are increasing their pursuit of Everton keeper Jordan Pickford with “steps forward” made, TuttoMercatoWeb have reported.
Spurs are believed to be preparing for the exit of captain Hugo Lloris who is nearing the end of his contract and interesting Rennes.
The London side are therefore stepping up their interest in England international Pickford as a replacement.
TMW report that: “Tottenham could give Antonio Conte a new goalkeeper,” and that “progress has been made”.
The Telegraph had previously reported that the former-Chelsea manager was focusing on British keepers, leading to his interest in Pickford.
Wrong message to fans
The ex-Sunderland man has been a mainstay in the Everton goal since his £30m move in 2017.
Despite some high-profile errors, including notably in Merseyside derbies, he has proven to be an important player at Goodison, as well as cementing himself as England’s number one under Gareth Southgate.
Although only three of his 46 clean sheets have come this season it is hard to pin that responsibility exclusively on him considering the Toffee’s miserable form, which has seen them slip to 15th in the Premier League under Rafael Benitez.
In light of performances on the pitch and the general direction of the club under the ownership of Bill Kenwright and Farhad Moshiri the mood among the fans is low.
A move across the Premier League to a team with a league position that Everton should hold may interest the 27-year-old, although their is currently no suggestion he is pushing for a move.
But for the club, losing an established international to a league rival with whom they should be competing for European places would send a terrible message to the fans.
Even if a hefty transfer fee was on offer, it is unlikely that trust in the money being spent wisely would be high given the experience of the last few seasons on Merseyside.
In other Everton news, the club makes official approach for manager favourite.