Everton and Manchester United want to sign Porto wonder Ussumane Djalo in January
Everton and Manchester United are among several English sides who have sent representatives to watch 19-year-old Porto wonder Ussumane Djalo, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported via their website on 8 January that Djalo has a release clause of £8million in his contract with the Portuguese outfit, with Brighton and Southampton also named as suitors.
However, they also claim he could be sold for considerably less than that price tag, with a bidding war on the cards between the interested clubs.
Everton must win the race
The 19-year-old is yet to make his first senior appearance for Porto but has attracted interest from England thanks to his performances for the Porto B team where he has made seven appearances so far this season in central midfield.
For Everton, the interest in Djalo follows a familiar pattern of recent interest in young stars from across Europe after they were also linked with Borussia Monchengladbach wonder Winsley Boteli. [Tuttomercato, 2 January]
The level of interest Djalo is attracting from some of England’s top clubs is a display of how impressive he has been at academy level and the hopes for the progression of his career.
Kevin Thelwell spoke on the VSI Sporting Directors’ podcast [6 December] about the club’s plan to buy young players with the eventual goal of making a profit on their sales, and the interest in Boteli could be another step towards that plan, with the signing of Youssef Chermiti in the summer of a similar style.
With interest from Manchester United and Brighton presenting more appealing options, Everton should move quickly to get this one done.
In other Everton news, Arsenal are in intensive talks to sign a star player from Everton.