Blackburn striker Ben Brereton Diaz rejected Everton to pen four-year contract with Villarreal for summer free transfer
Everton have seen their attempts to sign Blackburn striker Ben Brereton Diaz rejected by the player, after he penned a four-year deal with Villarreal according to Spanish press (29 March).
The Chilean striker has scored an incredible 36 goals over the last two seasons in the Championship, and has attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs with his contract at Ewood Park expiring this summer.
But according to a new report in Spain, the player has already signed a four-year deal with Villarreal after undergoing medical checks around Christmas and rejecting Everton and West Ham.
“In fact, he has rejected interests from West Ham and Everton to sign for Villarreal, and therefore, it is a future market move that could bring a lot of money to the club,” they wrote.
Blow
Brereton found himself an incredible run of form last season after becoming a Chile international through his grandparents, and was one of the hottest properties for some of the lesser Premier League sides in recent transfer windows.
But Blackburn completely ignored interest over that period to keep him and hoped he would be able to boost them to the Premier League.
However even if he makes it with them, he won’t be there now and that’s a blow to Everton as we wanted to add him to our attacking ranks to help ease the load on the other options we have.
With no Dominic Calvert-Lewin for long periods, plus Neal Maupay’s future at the club looking bleak, we need to find a new and reliable source of goals for next season whether we’re in the Championship or the Premier League.
That person won’t be Brereton Diaz though, so hopefully the club have been working hard on finding a new target or five to ensure that hole in the squad is filled for next season as a priority.