Everton should accept defeat with Franck Kessie and target Atalanta team-mate Andrea Conti

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Kessie appears out of Everton’s reach but the £12m-rated youngster alongside him in the starting XI could be right up their street.

You have to admire Everton for their determination to gate-crash the established footballing elite.

While the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin and Yannick Bolasie were hardly being sought after by Juventus, Chelsea and the like, The Guardian’s report in January that The Toffees launched a £15 million bid for Atalanta starlet Franck Kessie shows that, backed by billionaire shareholder Farhad Moshiri, Everton are no longer sifting through the bargain bucket.

The offer was rejected of course. Atalanta are known to value the Ivorian at around double the price. And Gazzetta Dello Sport’s claims that Kessie’s agent has met representatives with Roma while almost every European giant worth its salt continues to be linked suggests Everton are perhaps biting off more than they can chew.

However, rather than waste their time on a doomed deal (they’ve done that enough recently) they should perhaps turn their attention to the rest of Atalanta’s youthful squad punching well above their weight in fifth place in Serie A.

GazzaMercato reported last month that Chelsea scouts were in Bergamo to watch versatile right-sider Andrea Conti in action with a view to a potential £12.8 million summer move. That is far more in Everton’s price range and Conti could prove a far more useful addition than Kessie. The club has enough midfielders already.

The 23-year-old is capable of playing at right back and on the right-wing, meaning his versatility will surely appeal to Koeman.

Furthermore, as speculation intensifies that Everton will target a right-back in the summer as an understudy to Seamus Coleman, Conti could fit the bill far better than the ageing Bacary Sagna and the uninspiring Ahmed Elmohamady.

Meanwhile, his four goals and four assists proves that he can contribute effectively going forward. Only Romelu Lukaku in Everton’s squad has netted more than Conti this season.

While Kessie would prove Everton’s ambition, signing the former Italy Under-21 international would suggest an astuteness to go with the new-found funds.