Ligue 1 runner-up Adama Soumaoro reportedly wants to move to the Premier League, with Everton and Crystal Palace allegedly interested.
Everton and Crystal Palace have held talks with the agent of Adama Soumaoro, according to La Voix du Nord, with the Lille defender keen on securing a move to the Premier League this summer.
Lille would have expected that this summer would be a challenging one. After finishing second in Ligue 1, Les Dogues have found their key players subject to incessant transfer speculation.
Thiago Mendes and Youssouf Kone have gone already, both joining Lyon, while Nicolas Pepe and Rafael Leao could be on their way, too. And then there’s the highly-rated centre-back Soumaoro.
A 27-year-old with an excellent passing range, Soumaoro has apparently been a target for both Everton and Crystal Palace for a while now and, with Lille demanding just £13 million as a maximum, it seems the time has come for the academy graduate to finally make his desired switch to England.
The report claims that both clubs have contacted his representative to discuss a move.
This comes 18 months after Everton had a £19 million bid for Soumaoro rejected, as reported by La Voix du Nord, and instead signing Eliaquim Mangala on that ill-fated short-term loan deal from Manchester City.
It remains to be seen whether Soumaoro is Everton’s top target of merely a contingency plan if they are prevented from bringing Kurt Zouma back to Goodison Park from Chelsea. But technically gifted and commanding, Soumaoro would be a fine replacement if needs be.
And he could potentially succeed the veteran Scott Dann at Crystal Palace too, with the long-serving 32-year-old linked with a move away from Selhurst Park.
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