Everton have brought Lucas Digne to the Premier League from La Liga champions Barcelona but Alex Telles will remain in Porto for now.
Everton have finally completed their long search for Leighton Baines’ successor.
According to the Guardian, the 25-year-old Frenchman has arrived at Goodison Park from La Liga champions Barcelona for a fee of £18 million. Digne, formerly of PSG and Roma, will be expected to succeed Baines on the left of Everton’s defence.
But, if reports in Portugal are to be believed, Digne was not Marco Silva’s first choice heading into the transfer window.
The newly-appointed Toffees manager had initially chosen Porto’s Brazilian flyer Alex Telles as his number one transfer target, according to Goal, but was put off by the £35 million price-tag put on his head by the reining Primeira Liga champions.
The 25-year-old moved to Portugal in 2016 after spells at Galatasaray and Inter Milan, and enjoyed a stellar 2017/18 campaign as Sergio Conceicao’s side ended their five-year wait for a league title. He scored four times and produced an outstanding 20 assists in all competitions.
Digne, by comparison, does not quite possess the same creative gifts going forward but does at least have the experience of playing for three of the biggest clubs in Europe, in three different leagues.
PSG and Juventus are both reported to be interested in Telles.
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