Everton are willing to pay £23 million to sign Boubacar Kamara this summer but they will face competition from bitter rivals Liverpool for the Marseille defender, according to Le10 Sports.
Try as they might, The Toffees are still nowhere closer to signing a centre-back capable of taking Kurt Zouma’s place at Goodison Park.
Jean-Clair Todibo is still a Barcelona player and, with Gabriel Magalhaes agreeing a move to Napoli despite undergoing medical checks with the Merseyside giants, Everton are right back to square one yet again.
Fortunately, Marseille may have no choice but to sell Kamara.
The financial problems at the Stade Velodrome have been well documented, though the Ligue 1 runners-up will demand more than £23 million for their prized asset.
Le10 Sport, however, suggests that a £26 million bid could do the trick.
Everton are not the only north west giant keen on a 20-year-old who has been described as a ‘phenomenon’ by ex-Marseille team-mate Rolando.
The report adds that Liverpool see Kamara as a cheaper alternative to some of Europe’s most highly-rated defenders, such as Napoli powerhouse Kalidou Koulibaly.
Jurgen Klopp suggested that there won’t be many big-money signings at Anfield this summer but, even in this strained market, £25 million for Kamara feels like a bargain that cannot be missed.
“This kid is a phenomenon. When he started training with us, he was 15 years old. And from day one, I said, ‘this little one is going to be a great player’,” Rolando told RMC.
“He’s the kind of central defender that I like. He is full of quality and, above all, he works hard, he listens. He is out of the ordinary.”
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