Everton in surprise bid for Tottenham flop Erik Lamela

Everton reportedly made a late bid to sign Tottenham Hotspur flop Erik Lamela, according to French media outlet Le10Sport.

The Argentine winger was reportedly in talks to sign for Ligue 1 side Marseille, but both clubs missed the European deadline, with it claimed Spurs pulled out of a deal having failed to sign Saido Berahino from West Brom.

However, a further development in the story is the apparent interest from Everton, who Le10Sport claim made a late £18million bid last night to secure the player before Tuesday's 6pm deadline.

Where the interest or bid has come from is anybody's guess, with the Toffees not having been linked with the player at all, or indeed indicating they had that kind of money to spend.

In fact, they have long been rumoured to be pursuing a permanent deal for Spurs teammate Aaron Lennon, something that has so far failed to materialise, making a move for Lamela even more unlikely.

It is hard to imagine a move for Lamela would go down well with fans either given his so far unimpressive performances since his big move from Roma two years ago.

The reported fee is a big one as well, and if it is true, there are better places it could be invested, such as back up for Romelu Lukaku or the elusive number 10 Roberto Martinez has been seeking.