£15 million Everton target Denzel Dumfries is training alone at PSV Eindhoven and will miss Tuesday’s Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland, as reported by Eindhoven Dagblad.
At this stage, PSV should know how to handle the departure of a star player.
In recent seasons, Memphis Depay, Gini Wijnaldum, Hirving Lozano, Luuk de Jong, Angelino, Steven Bergwijn and Santiago Arias have all bid an emotional farewell to the Philips Stadium.
Donyell Malen, meanwhile, joined Borussia Dortmund in a big-money deal last month.
Replacing Dumfries would be easier said than done, however. The Euro 2020 star is not only the finest right-back in the Eredivisie, he’s also the club’s captain and leader on and off the pitch.
But as PSV face off against a Midtjylland side that conquered Celtic last week, a place in the Champions League group stages on the line, summer signing Phillipp Mwene is expected to start at right-back with Dumfries conspicuous by his absence.
Can Everton snaffle Euro 2020 star Denzel Dumfries?
According to ED, the former Heerenveen flyer has asked to train alone and won’t feature in Tuesday’s clash, fearing his presence would prove a distraction.
PSV boss Roger Schmidt has already admitted he won’t stand in Dumfries’ way should an acceptable offer arrive for the 25-year-old. As it stands, however, a much-discussed switch to Goodison Park is far from a foregone conclusion.
According to reports, Everton are now casting their eyes at alternative options, optimism turning to pessimism as Serie A champions Inter Milan enter the race for Dumfries, who could be tasked with taking Achraf Hakimi’s place at the San Siro.
Then again, Inter’s dire financial situation means a £15 million price tag may be out of their reach. The same surely can’t be said of Everton?
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