Everton scout confirms interest in Napoli’s Amadou Diawara - but doubts move this month

Everton scout Carlo Jacomuzzi has confirmed the club’s interest in Amadou Diawara but doubts a deal will be done this month.

With Idrissa Gueye continuing to be linked with a move to PSG speculation has continued regarding possible replacements.

Diawara has been touted as a potential target given his lack of first-team football at Napoli this season.

The 21-year-old has made just 12 appearances in all competitions so far, so may be keen on a move to secure regular action.

Speaking to Naples based station Radio Kiss Kiss and reported via Sport Witness, Jacomuzzi confirmed he had watched Diawara in action and reported his findings back to Finch Farm.

However, he doubts the Toffees will be able to do a deal this month given their lack of Champions League football.

“Is there interest? Sure, we have a similar player in Gueye. Swapping clubs midway through the season doesn’t make sense. He’s playing Champions League, we are not, so it’s not something concrete.

“He’s definitely an interesting player, which is why we’ve put him in our notebooks and on the board so one day we can say ‘we recommended him’.”

Jacomuzzi has a sketchy record when predicting Everton transfers. He claimed Everton were interested in Carlos Bacca and Duvan Zapata back in the June 2017 while also predicting the Toffees would sign Olivier Giroud later that summer - a deal that reportedly collapsed due to the Frenchman’s wife’s reluctance to move away from London.

Any deal for Diawara will, of course, rest on the future of Gueye, who would be interested in a move to PSG.

A deal in excess of £30million would represent good value for a player who turns 30 this year and cost just £7million in 2016 (a rare ‘win’ in the transfer market for Steve Walsh and Ronald Koeman). However, it would only be a good deal if a decent value replacement is found straight away as the current alternatives in the squad don’t look up to scratch.

Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure is another name on the rumour list but the Hornets are believed to want around £40million. Plus, I think it’s fair to say relations between the two clubs remain tetchy and that is likely to be reflected in negotiations.

We all trust that Marcel Brands is laying some groundwork for any potential deals should Gueye leave as the deadline is only nine days away.

My hunch is that no suitable deal will be found meaning Gueye stays where he is, though I hope the club is able to act quickly should the situation change.