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Everton’s woeful midfield was a big part of why the 2019-20 season didn’t quite go according to plan. So naturally when the club’s name comes up in the transfer rumour mill, the central positions are always very highly linked. Today, different media sources link a trio of midfielders that the club are apparently interested in.
Morgan Sanson - Olympique Marseille
The Toffees have already been linked with another French midfielder this summer in Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot, but the star comes with a lot of baggage and a hefty paycheck too. Sanson on the other hand has been linked with the Blues before too, in a possible swap with another Frenchman Morgan Schneiderlin. As recently as the winter transfer window the Blues interest in Sanson had come up again.
Per TBR, Sanson is being offered to Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and the Toffees by super agent Pini Zahavi who does have a track record of working with Spurs boss Jose Mourinho. What will really catch your eye is how much OM are asking for the 25-year-old midfielder - €35-40 million (£31m-£35.5m). Primarily a central midfielder, Sanson is more renowned for his defensive ability and not so much for his ability to advance the ball and turnover rate.
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Gaetano Castrovilli - Fiorentina
Ever since Carlo Ancelotti took over the reins at Everton the club has been linked with a number of Italian players, the latest of whom is the Viola midfielder Castrovilli who has had a breakout season this year. Only 23, the youngster has put in a series of composed performances playing in the right centre-mid position of a 3-5-2 formation, picking up 3 goals and 2 assists in 24 appearances.
Per CalcioMercato, Fiorentina are going to fight to keep hold of the Italian who just signed a five year extension, with Juventus, Inter Milan and Bundelsiga clubs all interested. A strong dribbler, Castrovilli’s passing range often comes under scrutiny though he does have an excellent work rate and covers plenty of ground throughout the game. Again, he is expected to cost a lot to pry away from Florence.
Teun Koopmeiners - AZ Alkmaar
After the Davy Klaassen incident you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Blues are wary of Dutch midfielders. However here are the Blues being linked with another Dutch midfielder who captains his side - Koopmeiners is just 22 and leads Marcel Brands’ former team AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie, with another four years on his current deal having signed an extension last November [TransferMarketWeb].
The lanky defensive midfielder is versatile enough to play in central defence as well, much like a player already on Everton’s roster - Jean-Philippe Gbamin. Koopmeiners has also bagged an impressive 16 goals this season, including 3 in the Europa League - he is an excellent striker of the dead-ball with his left foot, with the majority of those goals coming from freekicks and penalties. Versatile and good on the ball with an excellent passing range, he is also being targeted by AC Milan.