Report: Everton made late bid to hijack Aston Villa's move for Anwar El Ghazi

Everton were said to be interested in Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi, before he completed his permanent move.

According to the Birmingham Mail, Everton tried to hijack Aston Villa’s deal for Anwar El Ghazi at the last minute.

The Sun claims that Villa paid £8 million to sign El Ghazi from Lille, but they were put under pressure from Everton.

The Dutch winger impressed last term, when he was on loan at Villa Park.

And his performances did not go unnoticed at Everton, as he had come up on Marco Silva’s side’s radar.

The Toffees apparently made a last ditch attempt to sign El Ghazi, but his heart was set on a move to Villa following their promotion.

El Ghazi showed great loyalty by sticking with Villa, as the temptation to join a more established Premier League side in Everton must have been there.

However, the Dutchman may have made the right choice as he has a greater chance of playing in Smith’s side.

El Ghazi has already forced his way into Villa’s starting line-up, whereas at Everton he would have faced fierce competition for a spot.