FC Porto winger Yacine Brahimi is reportedly on Juventus’ radar – and Everton may miss out for the second summer in succession.
Just a month into the 2016/17 season, Ronald Koeman highlighted the need for Everton to qualify for the Champions League, or at least its Thursday night sibling, to avoid missing out on their more ambitious transfer targets, The Express reports.
After all, The Toffees were not only jilted by Tottenham-bound Moussa Sissoko in the summer window. Attempts to bring Axel Witsel and Lucas Perez to Goodison Park were also scuppered by Everton’s failure to finish in the European places the season before.
And the upcoming summer transfer window may serve to validate Koeman’s sobering claims. As it stands, Everton are eight points adrift of the fourth place and the prospect of Europa League action is hardly likely to stand the club in good stead when rival suitors can offer a place at the top table of continental football.
The Daily Mirror reported back in September that Everton’s club-record £33.6 million bid for Porto winger Yacine Brahimi was scuppered by the Algerian’s desire to play in the Champions League.
And, twelve months on, they could encounter an identical problem. Tuttosport report that Juventus sent scouts to watch Brahimi in action as Porto kept the Liga Nos title race alive with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Benfica on Sunday.
It’s been clear for some time that Max Allegri is on the lookout for a trequartista capable of playing in a number of forward positions and, with deals for the likes of Isco and Alexis Sanchez looking increasingly unlikely, Brahimi could be the next in line.
Everton may be desperate to demonstrate their ambition and strengthen their top four challenge with a marquee signing. But, with only Europa League football on offer, how can they legitimately expect to challenge the continental Goliaths of Juventus?
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