Everton are one of the interested parties in signing Lyon’s Memphis Depay.
Calciomercato reported the news on Monday evening suggesting that they were one of two sides wanting to land the Dutchman.
The former Manchester United winger’s contract expires in 2021 which has alerted the Toffees and AC Milan to his potential availability.
However, it looks as though it might be difficult to prise him away at present given Lyon’s asking price. Despite having just a year left on his current deal, they want a €30m fee (£26.7m) if any team is to buy him.
According to the report, Depay is very seriously considering leaving Lyon at the end of the season in search of a new challenge.
GIVE ME SPORT’S Matt Dawson says...
This would be a serious piece of business from Everton.
The winger may have flopped when at United, scoring just two Premier League goals, but he has taken his game to another level in France.
This season alone, he has nine strikes in just 13 Ligue 1 outings, while amassing some mightily impressive statistics elsewhere.
Depay takes a considerable 3.7 shots per game, which is one shot ahead of Richarlison. As for dribbles, he outperforms the Brazilian too – amassing two per match. It's hardly surprising that he's been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo with stats like that.
Adding him to a potent frontline which includes the tricky former Watford man and Dominic Calvert-Lewin would be quite something and could well improve Carlo Ancelotti’s side significantly.
Both current Everton players have double figures for the season but behind them they are lacking in terms of players who can find the net regularly – Bernard is their third-highest scorer with just three strikes.
If Everton are serious about challenging for places in Europe next season then adding players of Depay’s ability would be a great place to start. He has proven himself to be one of the very best in France – it is time he tests himself at the top again.