Everton make significant advances to sign Joaquin Correa, open talks with agent - report
Everton have made 'significant advances' by tabling a bid to sign Lazio attacker Joaquin Correa this summer, according to Il Messaggero.
The report states that the Toffees are also in contact with the 26-year-old's agent as they are keen on bringing his client to Goodison Park this summer.
An offer understood to be not more than £17million has been tabled for the Argentina international by Everton.
However, the Serie A side are holding out for more and thus far there's not been a bid that matches their valuation for Correa.
Fellow Premier League sides Wolves and Leicester are also in talks with his representatives while Arsenal and Tottenham reportedly have a distant interest in the Lazio attacker.
Up the bid
The race for Correa is heating up and given the interest in services from England, he's very likely to play in the Premier League next season.
If we are to sign the player then we have to act quick as Leicester and Wolves are two sides that go about their business swiftly and quietly, without the media getting wind of it.
Recently, there were no murmurs about Wolves being interested in FC Barcelona's Francisco Trincao, but they managed to get that one over the line, signing him on loan.
Now that their interest in Correa is made public, it will be interesting to see how they go about it.
We've generally been pretty slow at signing players from clubs that are demanding higher transfer fees, but Correa is one we should be paying more for.
He's a quick wide forward who is capable of scoring goals and setting up chances. Last season he found the back of the net on 11 occasions and registered six assists in all competitions.
He was also highly rated by then Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi who referred to him as 'formidable' [Lazio official website].
We're hoping Marcel Brands convinces the club to free up more funds as Correa could be the signing to take us to the next level.
In other Everton news, Goodison View: Brands must sign Everton-linked speedster, CL giants reportedly open to sale