Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton are reportedly interested in Lucas Ocampos but, speaking to AS Foot, Sevilla teammate Jules Kounde has pleaded with the Argentine to stay at the Europa League winners.
A winger who never really put together a consistent run of form at Monaco, Marseille or Milan appears to have finally found his feet in Andalusia.
With five assists and a career-best 17 goals in all competitions, Ocampos was perhaps the most impressive performer in a Sevilla side who continued their love affair with Europe’s secondary club competition this season.
Lightning quick and lethal in the final third, the Argentine also possesses that typically feisty South American spirit, even if a tally of ten yellow cards suggests that he can often stray over the line.
The Mirror (21 August, page 58) reports that Ocampos’s exhilarating form has caught the eye of Everton and Wolves, with the latter seeing him as a £45 million replacement for Adama Troare.
“He has been a key player in our campaign. I think he has had a lot of confidence and has evolved to a higher level than he had in Marseille,” says Kounde, the brilliant young central defender who arrived alongside Ocampos just last summer.
“I hope he stays and next year we do nice things. I think his technical quality is underestimated. He is not only a warrior… he dribbles and he defines.”
Now that the dust has settled on a remarkable debut season at Sevilla, we can mark Ocampos down as another inspired signing from their legendary sporting director.
But while the much-admired Monchi is famed for his ability to pull off astute bargain deals, he also has a proven track record when it comes to selling players on for a massive profit.
With Diego Carlos, Sergio Reguilon and Kounde himself also tipped to leave, keeping this exciting Sevilla side together would perhaps be Monchi’s biggest achievement yet.
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