It is no secret that Everton are desperate for midfield additions this summer and they could land themselves a box-to-box dream in Abdoulaye Doucoure.
What’s the word?
According to the Evening Standard, the Toffees have already failed with a bid for the relegated Watford star with the offer falling short of their £25m valuation.
It’s claimed that the Merseysiders have a long-standing interest in the French midfielder and they are expected to return with a new bid in due course.
Doucoure is even open to a move to Goodison Park so personal terms aren’t expected to be an issue.
Pogba-esque midfielder
Everton do appear to be closing in on Napoli enforcer Allan, but their spending shouldn’t stop there as Doucoure could be the perfect compliment in a 4-3-3 system.
The 27-year-old has been likened to Man Utd superstar Paul Pogba by Owen Hargreaves in the past, claiming that “He’s got goals, he’s got assists he’s so athletic. He’s got that frame of Paul Pogba, he’s got a good touch and he can finish.”
Despite being relegated with the Hornets this season, Doucoure was one of the few bright sparks. He provided four goals and two assists and displayed those box-to-box capabilities in averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.6 shots and 1.1 dribbles per appearance, via WhoScored.
These are characteristics that neither Andre Gomes, Gylfi Sigurdsson or Tom Davies possess in the Toffees squad.
In addition, Jamie Redknapp believes that Doucoure is one of the most “underrated” players in the Premier League, and it’s these sort of players that Ancelotti should be targeting.
With Allan sat at the base of a three-man midfield, the 6-foot Frenchman could be deployed next to Gomes in the same way that Pogba has played alongside Nemanja Matic and Fred at Old Trafford.
Whilst £25m is hardly a scratch above the surface in this day and age. Doucoure would be a steal so Marcel Brands must pull out all the stops to convince Farhad Moshiri to stump up the cash this summer.
AND in other news, Toffees could land some much-needed creativity with bargain swoop for World Cup STAR…