There looked set to be a Premier League tussle between Everton and West Ham United to sign Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi but the trail had gone cold.
The trail has grown a little cold with Steven N’Zonzi in recent weeks.
The Frenchman looked set for a return to the Premier League this month after a high-profile falling out with Seville head coach Eduardo Berizzo.
Berizzo is gone now, however, replaced by Italian Vincenzo Montella. And N’Zonzi appears to be back in favour, playing three of the four games in Montella’s tenure so far.
Though Estadio Deportivo claim that a move to England could still be on the cards for the former Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City enforcer. The report states that Everton are still considering making an offer for N’Zonzi this month, but it is likely to be well below his buyout clause of £35 million.
It is understood that Everton would be prepared to offer around £20 million for the recently capped French international after spending big money on both Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott.
It appears unlikely that Sevilla would accept such an offer for arguably their most sell-able asset, particularly as it would not be easy to sign a replacement for such an influential player with almost a third of the transfer window gone.
But if Sevilla did show a willingness to accept a reduced deal for N’Zonzi, who has not been anywhere near as influential as he was in a sensational debut campaign in Andalucía, surely West Ham should be back in the race.
David Moyes confirmed in December that The Hammers were keen to sign N’Zonzi, as reported by the Telegraph. And as they have since failed to sign Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Allen, Marko Grujic or Harry Arter, West Ham should not discount renewing their interest in N’Zonzi.
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