Everton join Southampton & Leicester in race to sign one of Portugal’s EURO 2016 stars
10 December 2014 - UEFA Champions League (Group G) - Chelsea v Sporting Lisbon - William Carvalho of Sporting Lisbon - Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
Everton have reportedly joined Southampton and Leicester City in the race to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, according to the Sun.
Ronald Koeman’s top target in that position had been Belgium international Axel Witsel, but with the deal for the Zenit St-Petersburg man stalling because of interest from Liverpool and Chelsea, the Toffees manager has now turned his attentions to Carvalho, who was part of the Portugal side that won Euro 2016 on Sunday night – their first-ever major tournament success.
The 24-year-old is understood to be available for around £20 million from the Portuguese giants this summer, but Koeman faces competition from his former club, and the Premier League champions, who are both able to offer European football next term – something that the Goodison Park outfit can’t.
Carvalho has made 87 appearances in all competitions for Sporting since making his debut for the club in 2010, scoring eight goals, and has previously been heavily linked with a move to England with Arsenal.