Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Lucas Digne wants to leave Everton amid interest from Premier League rivals Aston Villa, West Ham United and Newcastle, speaking to the Daily Mail.
If Vitaliy Mykolenko is ‘the future’ at Goodison Park, as Benitez said earlier this week following the Ukrainian’s official unveiling, then it seems Digne belongs to the past.
And it appears that the humbling 4-1 home defeat to arch rivals Liverpool – a game in which Digne hardly did himself much justice – will be his final appearance for the Merseyside giants.
A sad way to bow out, with all things considered.
Aston Villa have prioritised a new left-back after agreeing a deal to bring in Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona with the £30 million-rated Digne joining Aaron Hickey, Borna Sosa and Borna Barisic on Steven Gerrard’s hitlist.
The former Barcelona benchwarmer also has admirers at St James’ Park (Telegraph).
Newcastle have submitted a £22.5 million bid though it is believed that Digne would prefer to live in London – a stance which plays straight into West Ham’s hands (Mail).
Which club will Lucas Digne leave Everton for?
“I want to ask a question to every fan or former player. What would you say to a player who doesn’t want to be there?” Benitez said when asked about Digne’s future in his Friday press conference.
“It is simple. I had a couple of conversations with him, he told me what he thought. What do you expect to do when a player (says) to the manager he doesn’t want to be here?”
Snapping up Mykolenko in an £18 million deal from Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev, Everton have certainly moved on quickly from a man who, alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, has been one of their most consistent performers during a difficult 18 months at Goodison Park.
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