Everton midfielder bid rejected

I think it’s fair to say that relations between Everton and Watford are a tad frosty right now.

The two clubs remain in dispute over Everton’s pursuit of Marco Silva last autumn, which the Hornets cite as the reason why their season began to unravel.

Despite sacking Silva following a poor run of form in January Watford are still seeking compensation from Everton for what they believe was an illegal approach for their then head coach.

The case has yet to be resolved and is likely to go to a Premier League arbitration panel.

So with all this going on is it realistic to expect the two clubs to play nice over a potential transfer?

That’s why I treat the latest rumour regarding Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure with a healthy dose of skepticism.

French out let RMC Sport claim that Everton have had an offer of €25 million (£22.1m) plus €5m (£4.42m) in bonuses rejected by Watford for the midfielder.

It also states that Doucoure wants to stay at Vicarage Road for another year after an impressive campaign last time out.

Doucoure scored seven goals from midfield last season - though interestingly none of them were scored after Silva’s sacking in January.

Like many Watford players his form tailed off after a bright start but that didn’t stop him from being linked with a number of top clubs earlier this year.

Even if Doucoure wanted to leave I would be very surprised if Watford would let him move to Goodison given their anger towards the Toffees at present.

For that reason I wouldn’t get too excited about this rumour - for now at least.