The 26-year-old goalkeeper is reportedly being eyed up by Everton and West Ham United a year after the FA blocked his Aston Villa move.
It is fair to say Aston Villa supporters were not too pleased with the FA after they were prevented from completing a deal to sign Croatian international goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic in January last year.
The Birmingham Mail reported that Villa had agreed a £4.9 million fee for the Hajduk Split shot-stopper only for the move to be blocked by work permit issues. The club had two appeals rejected by the FA as the body were not convinced that Kalinic classed as an ‘elite’ player worthy of circumventing the rules.
Meanwhile, they were more than happy to sanction Premier League moves for Marko Grujic, Oumar Niasse and Kenedy. Just for the record, the trio have featured just nine times in the top flight combined this season.
Now, a year on, The Sun reports that Everton and West Ham are all in the market for 6ft 7ins goalkeeper Kalinic with a £10 million deal seemingly enough to bring him to England.
Both clubs appear to be in the market for long-term number one goalkeepers due to concerns about the performances of Maarten Stekelenberg and Adrian (below), although understudies Joel Robles and Darren Randolph have impressed when called upon.
The Sun adds that a work permit may no longer be an issue with Kalinic cementing his place in the Croatian national team over the last 12 months and starring as current club Gent surprisingly knocked Tottenham Hotspur out of the Europa League on Thursday.
Nonetheless, the fact that Villa have dropped 11 points this season thanks to goalkeeping errors, allied with Kalinic progressing to such an extent that his price tag has doubled, will surely infuriate the fans.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
