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Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United, should the Red Devils’ David de Gea depart the club.
According to the Daily Mirror, United are prepared to part with £70 million to secure Pickford’s signature if de Gea leaves for Paris Saint-Germain next summer.
That sum would make him the second most expensive goalkeeper in the world, just behind the £71.5 million Chelsea paid for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
De Gea, 28, is angling for a new contract at Old Trafford which would match the salary of United’s top earner Alexis Sánchez, who is paid about £350,000 a week.
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On Thursday, United triggered a one-year extension in the Spaniard’s contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2020, which will prevent him from signing a pre-contract with another side from January.
Pickford, 24, has enjoyed an extraordinary 18 months since leaving Sunderland for Everton for £30 million in June 2017.
In his maiden campaign at Goodison Park, he won Everton’s player of the season, player’s player of the season and young player of the season.
He has also since established himself as England’s first-choice keeper, playing every minute of the Three Lion’s World Cup campaign this summer as they reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1990.
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In September, he signed a new six-year deal with the Toffees, and spoke of his desire to help Everton win trophies and reach the top four:
“As a club, you want to be up there. We finished eighth last season and that wasn’t such a good season for Everton.
“We want to try and win some silverware, whether that be the League Cup, the FA Cup, whatever it’ll be and also I think we want to be finishing higher up in the table. It’ll take a lot of hard work and that’s the work we’re willing to put in as a group of lads.
“We want to be top six, maybe top seven this season, and then going forward, we’ve got to ambitious and want to be hitting the Champions League. It’s going to be a difficult road to get there but it’s something we’d want as a club.”