Everton retain interest in Willian Jose

Everton retain an interest in Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose, according to Mundo Deportivo in Spain.

The Blues took until the January transfer window to find a replacement for Romelu Lukaku last season, eventually securing Cenk Tosun from Besiktas.

Before his arrival, though, they were linked with a number of strikers across Europe as former Director of Football Steve Walsh sought (and failed) to find someone to fill the gap left by the Belgian.

Among those reportedly looked at were Willian Jose, who had managed 12 goals in La Liga the previous season.

Despite Tosun having proved to be a relatively smart signing so far and many expecting big things from him under Marco Silva, there is still a belief that Everton need to add to their forward ranks this summer.

And one of the players they continue to look at is Jose, according to the latest reports from Mundo Deportivo.

They claim that the Blues retain their previous interest in the Brazilian striker but are yet to firm up that interest with a concrete bid. Should they do so, they are likely to be turned away poste haste by La Real.

They have already turned away interest from Borussia Dortmund, telling them they will have to pay Jose’s €60 million release clause should they want him and Everton would surely get a similar answer.

With Marcel Brands looking to do things differently this summer, that makes Everton moving for Willian Jose unlikely this summer. Indeed, this latest link appears to be more as a result of last summer’s interest than genuine interest in a move.