Everton have joined Premier League rivals West Ham United and Southampton in the race to sign Filip Djuricic from Serie A outfit Sassuolo next year, as reported by Calciomercato.
2022 is already shaping up to be a difficult year for the perennial overachievers of Italian football.
Having already lost midfield lynchpin Manuel Locatelli to Juventus, Jeremie Boga and Domenico Berardi also appear to have their hearts set on a fresh start.
Both Boga and Berardi asked to leave the Mapei Stadium over the summer and that wanderlust is unlikely to have been sated by a sluggish start to the new campaign.
But while Sassuolo continue to stand strong and firm – refusing to sell two of the most gifted forwards in Serie A on the cheap – there is very little they can do to stop experienced Serbia international Djuricic walking out the door.
The 29-year-old will be a free agent in nine months.
And with Calciomercato reporting that Everton have joined West Ham and Southampton in the race for a player who spent a brief spell on loan at St Mary’s back in 2014/15 under Ronald Koeman, Djurcic is unlikely to be short of offers when his contract expires.
Where would Filip Djuricic fit in at Everton?
A technically-gifted attacking midfielder who can also play in a wider role on the left or the right, Djuricic produced five goals and four assists in 33 league games last season.
After snapping up two of the Premier League’s most in-form forwards for a combined fee of £1.7 million – the sparkling Demarai Gray and the rejuvenated Andros Townsend – Djuricic would bring further quality and finesse to Everton’s frontline while barely leaving a dent in Rafa Benitez’s budget.
The links with Djuricic could raise questions about the future of Andre Gomes, the eternally-underwhelming Portugal international who was struggling for game time even before his recent calf injury.
Gomes was linked with a return to former club Benfica a few months ago.
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