Everton have made a fresh inquiry to Atletico Madrid about Santiago Arias, with Goal reporting that the Colombia international is available for a bargain £13 million.
Diego Simeone is no stranger to leaving a big-money signing on the sidelines if he does not live up to the lofty expectations of perhaps the most demanding coach in the game.
And Arias, like Raul Jimenez, Alessio Curci, Thomas Lemar and more, has had to get used to life on the Atleti bench since he arrived in the Spanish capital from PSV.
The superb form of Kieran Trippier certainly hasn’t helped, with the three-time Eredivisie winner starting just seven La Liga matches all season.
According to reports from Spain, Arias could now be offered an escape route by an old friend.
Marcel Brands was the man who brought the swashbuckling 28-year-old to PSV and a man who was hired as Everton’s director of football two years ago could be about to reunite with Arias at Goodison Park.
Goal claims that The Toffees have asked Atletico about Arias’s availability this week and have been told that offers of £13 million will be considered.
“He is the perfect model of the modern defender: pacy and powerful and attack-minded,” Brands told the PSV website about the one-time Sporting Lisbon defender in 2015. “There are not many players with such qualities.”
Arias, a barnstorming and athletic full-back who was a reliable source of assists during that trophy-laden spell at PSV, would more-than-likely replace Djibril Sidibe at Goodison Park.
Everton have an option to sign the Monaco loanee permanently but Sidibe’s hopes of a long-term stay might have been ruined by a couple of disastrous defensive displays since Ancelotti took over on Merseyside.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
