Everton and Palace in duel over French international goalie

Everton have offered Steve Mandanda a three-year contract in the battle to get the goalkeeper’s signature. The player’s contract at Olympique Marseille expired at the end of the 2015-16 season and he has indicated that he would like to move abroad next.

A long-time backup to Hugo Lloris in the France setup, Mandanda is currently involved in the Euro 2016 championship where the home side is heavily favored to win. He started 36 games for Marseille in a disappointing season for the former French giants, finishing in 13th place. The Kinshasa-born goalie has made over 400 appearances for Marseille since signing from Le Havre in 2007, with 22 senior international caps since 2008.

At 31-years-old, Mandanda is not considered to be a long-term solution as Everton look to replace Tim Howard who was at the club for ten years, but more of a stop-gap solution. Known for his shot-stopping and reflexes, he is expected to challenge current starter Joel Robles for the first team position. The Blues had been mentioned as a possible destination for the player during the January transfer window as well.

Fellow Premier League team Crystal Palace have also been involved in negotiations for the player, and were rumored to be close to signing the goalkeeper. Chelsea have also been linked to Mandanda as a backup for their starter Thibaut Courtois, but it is expected that the OM goalie is going to choose a club that he can start at. The Stamford Bridge side have a vacancy for their backup as Asmir Begovic is out of contract this summer too, and has also been linked with the Goodison Park job.