Everton at ‘front of queue’ for James Tarkowski, offering £90k per-week
Everton have made their move for Burnley’s out of contract defender James Tarkowski as they try to beat Aston Villa to his signature, according to The Telegraph.
Tarkowski is set to leave Turf Moor as his contract expires next month, with the Clarets suffering relegation down to the Championship after six years in the Premier League.
With plenty of interest in the 29-year-old, Frank Lampard has made the first move the day after the season came to an end and the club have now made a formal offer to bring the defender to Goodison Park.
According to The Telegraph they have moved to the front of the queue, ahead of Villa, by offering a deal worth £90,000 per-week while Lampard has also outlined his plans and ambition to the player.
Lampard wants to sign four or five new players but won’t be able to spend big, so a free transfer for Tarkowski is a deal that makes sense for the club on a budget.
Fast
The club are moving fast to address the problems they had last season and to avoid having any of the same issues when it comes to on the field performances, by trying to bring in a highly reliable and steady defender.
Tarkowski has long been targeted by bigger clubs than Burnley, but they slapped a hefty price tag on his head to price him out of a move which led to him running his contract down.
Now by moving early the Toffees have grabbed a head-start on their rivals in a bid to get a deal done, although there is no guarantee that they will be able to get it over the line.
Villa are still likely to make an offer for the player, who is keen to make a decision on his future before he goes off on holiday for the summer after spending seven years at Turf Moor.
Now Everton have made it clear they want him and can put plans in place for the new season early if they get him, which will only help them to avoid another relegation scrap next year.
In other Everton news, TalkSPORT pundit expects Everton loanee to return to parent club in summer
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook for 24/7 updates on Everton plus more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell