Everton battle Tottenham for Rodrigo de Paul amid £26million update
Everton are in the hunt to sign Argentina midfielder Rodrigo de Paul from Atletico Madrid, according to Italian news outlet, Inter Live.
They claim (5 April) that Tottenham and Daniel Levy in particular would like to add the 28-year-old World Cup winner to Spurs’ ranks.
Inter are also believed to be monitoring the midfielder’s situation, with De Paul likely to part ways with Atletico in the summer having fallen out of favour under Diego Simeone, as are San Siro rivals AC Milan.
It’s understood the La Liga side value the former Udinese midfielder at €30million [£26million] and are happy to sanction his exit at the end of the season, with Everton joined by Aston Villa and Brentford as other English sides involved.
Keep dreaming
Some of these Italian reports are fairly fanciful and this one is right up there. There’s absolutely no chance Everton sign the World Cup winner.
He will be on big money in Spain and will demand a huge contract if he does make the move to the Premier League. If the board did move for de Paul it would show they haven’t learnt from their past mistakes.
Dele Alli and Yerry Mina are two current examples which spring to mind. They’ve been signed on lucrative contracts or for large transfer fees and have offered the club next to nothing for one reason or another.
Everton are essentially giving money away. They have to be more astute moving forward; looking to land players whose value could increase.
Amadou Onana has proven to be an excellent piece of business and the Belgium international will hopefully go on to be a huge asset for the club moving forward. With the season nearing its conclusion, the board and Sean Dyche will have one eye firmly on the transfer window in what promises to be another intriguing summer for the club.