Premier League duo Everton and Southampton are reportedly interested in signing Lille’s Brazilian midfielder Thiago Mendes.
Nicholas Pepe has been relentlessly linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months but it seems that his Lille team-mate Thiago Mendes could also be on his way to England.
The Brazilian midfielder has been outshone by the Ivorian speedster at the Ligue 1 high-flyers this season but that is not to say Mendes does not have plenty of admirers.
According to Jeunesfootex, both Everton and Southampton are interested in the combative enforcer, who shot to fame when winning Olympic gold at Rio 2016. As reported by Telefoot, Mendes is valued at £26 million – which is hardly a bank-breaking sum in today’s mad times.
But with Southampton fans dreaming of new signings who can lead the club away from the Premier League relegation zone, they should take some hope from comments made by Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands on Thursday.
“The transfer window is open, we know that, but we don’t have big plans to be honest because it is a very difficult period to bring players in,” Brands said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. “They have no time to adapt, the games go on and on.
“I am more focused on the summer than on the January window.”
So with Everton seemingly keen to wait and keep the PSG-linked Idrissa Gana Gueye, reducing the need for a new midfielder at Goodison Park, Southampton should be looking to take full advantage and snap up Mendes here and now.
A deep-lying midfielder with an eye for a pass and a tackle, the 26-year-old could add guile and craft to a Southampton team who Ralph Hasenhuttl is trying to build in his own image.
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