Everton were keen to lure Omar Mascarell to the Premier League from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt – but Real Madrid have first dibs.
Eintracht Frankfurt have been one of the Bundesliga’s surprise packages this season, with Niko Kovac’s side seemingly in with a real shout of European football in the very near future.
While much of the praise has gone to star striker Sebastian Haller and the re-born Kevin-Price Boateng, it would be unfair to overlook the masterful performances of Spaniard Omar Mascarell at the heart of the midfield.
Though, according to Marca, Premier League giants Everton had not turned a blind eye to the 25-year-old’s displays. It is understood that the Toffees were very keen on the one-time Derby County loanee despite the abundance of central midfielders already at Sam Allardyce’s disposal.
Though just over a month after links with Goodison Park, it seems that Mascarell is set for a much bigger move.
Real have had great success selling young talents before re-signing them at a reasonable price after they had developed elsewhere, Dani Carvalhal, Lucas Vasquez and Casemiro all returning to the Bernabau after spells with Leverkusen, Espanyol and Porto respectively.
But Mascarell might not be given the chance to have a similar impact at Madrid. AS adds that Zinedine Zidane’s side are likely to sign Mascarell for £3.5 million before selling him on for a profit, seemingly around the £14 million mark.
Everton could still sign Mascarell, then – but for more than they might have planned.
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