Everton have reportedly tracked Dennis Praet for a long time – though it’s far from certain that he will arrive at Goodison Park with Newcastle United keen.
Everton have spent the best part of two years tracking highly-rated Belgian midfielder Dennis Praet so to lose him now to a Premier League rival may mean a hugely positive summer ends on something of a sour note.
According to The Mail, Everton, Southampton and Aston Villa all registered an interest in Praet back in the summer of 2015, when he was making his name at Belgian giants Anderlecht.
The report claimed at the time that the-then-21-year-old was valued at around £10 million. And it rather reflects his slow rate of progress that, two years on, his value hasn’t massively increased despite almost every deal this summer straying into ‘silly money’ territory.
Belgian paper Het Nieuwsblad reports that Praet, who swapped Anderlecht for Serie A side Sampdoria last summer, could cost around £18.4 million – and the report adds that Newcastle United are mulling over whether or not to pay such a fee.
Therefore, the final week of the transfer window could see a tug-of-war between Everton and Newcastle, as reported by La Derniere Heure, for the one-time Belgian international.
And, if Praet is able to choose between the two, his decision may depend on his ambition. Praet would likely play regular first-team football in a Newcastle midfield in need of star quality but The Magpies look set to struggle this season.
On the other hand, Everton are well placed to battle for Europe though a midfield of Idrissa Gana Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson means it is difficult to see how Praet would fit in.
However, though Everton have strengthened their midfield considerably over the summer, they would still be disappointed to lose out on a player they have watched develop over the last two years.
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