Everton have joined Premier League rivals West Ham United in expressing their interest in Paris Saint-Germain ace Carlos Soler with the Spain international left out of Friday’s clash with Montpellier.
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As the French champions unveiled their party for Friday’s second game of the new campaign, there were a few notable omissions.
Manuel Ugarte is nowhere to be seen, closing in on a move to Manchester United. Nordi Mukiele, Danilo and former Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar are also absent, pushed down the pecking order following the £38 million signing of William Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt.
And, in a move that will not go unnoticed across the Channel, £17 million man Carlos Soler is conspicuous by his absence too, as confirmed by PSG’s official X account.
HITC can confirm that West Ham have been joined by Everton in pursuing the former Valencia captain. Neither side has made an offer just yet, but inquiries have been lodged.
West Ham United and Everton eye Carlos Soler of PSG
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique, meanwhile, seemingly confirmed during his Thursday press conference that those not in his plans – such as Soler – will be allowed to leave before the window closes next week.
“(We will) let go those we no longer count on,” the ex-Barcelona coach tells Le Figaro.
While Ugarte has made his name as a bone-crunching battleaxe in the number six role, Soler is a more creative, attack-minded footballer.
He was previously labelled the ‘new David Silva‘ at Valencia. Like the former Los Che favourite and Manchester City legend, Soler is at his best when picking up the ball between the lines and threading passes into the penalty area.
The 27-year-old has struggled for regular starts in a stocked PSG midfield. But, during his time at his hometown club Valencia, Soler blossomed into one of the most influential players in La Liga.
“He is the complete midfielder and can act as a (number) six, eight or 10,” Valencia icon Cuco Torres once told AS. “He has power, arrives in the box and can score.”
Soler’s impressive goalscoring record will appeal to West Ham. And particularly to an Everton side who continue to field Abdoulaye Doucoure as a rather ill-fitting number ten, although summer signing Iliman Ndiaye should slot into that position once he has got used to Sean Dyche’s approach.
Spain star once scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid
Soler scored 12 goals in successive seasons for Valencia a few years back.
He even scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid in a 4-1 win – albeit all three of those goals came from the penalty spot – while earning 14 caps for the Spanish national team.
Soler has not earned a single cap since 2022, however. He may feel that – if he is to force his way back into La Roja’s squad ahead of the World Cup – a move away from the Parc des Princes is required.
West Ham and Everton may not be able to offer Champions League football, but they can provide the sort of regular opportunities that looks beyond Soler at PSG.
HITC, meanwhile, reported three months ago that Soler had been offered to Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. None of those three clubs followed up such an opportunity, though Aston Villa did show an interest briefly while holding talks over a move.
Perhaps Villa felt that – with pre-season star Morgan Rogers going from strength to strength – Soler’s arrival would only stifle the former Middlesbrough youngster’s development.
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