Report: Everton rejected by Luke Shaw; now in talks with Lucas Digne

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Everton have reportedly failed in a bid to sign Luke Shaw from Manchester United this summer.

According to a report from The Times, Luke Shaw has rejected the opportunity to leave Manchester United and join Everton this summer and is instead looking to leave Old Trafford as a free agent next year.

Shaw has endured a tough time since leaving Southampton for £30 million in 2014 – fee reported by The Times. He has often struggled to establish himself in the side and his best run of form – that certainly hinted that he was finally ready to make a devastating impact for the club – was curtailed by a horrific injury suffered in the Champions League.

The Times reports that Jose Mourinho has made the 23-year-old available this summer, and Everton had made their move to try and offer Shaw a new challenge ahead of next season as they seemingly search for Leighton Baines’ long-term successor at Goodison Park.

However, Shaw has rejected the chance to move away before next summer and the Toffees have now opened talks with Barcelona over a deal to sign Lucas Digne, according to The Times.

It is perhaps a surprise that Shaw is not ready to consider a move to join Everton. Marco Silva’s men have a number of seriously exciting players in their ranks and appear to have the potential to do better than last season while adopting a much more exhilarating brand of football. And with Baines’ career at the highest level edging towards its conclusion, the left-back spot is there for the taking.

Meanwhile, it looks as though staying at United is likely to see Shaw play a peripheral role during the final year of his contract with Mourinho reportedly ready to sell the England international. He may have the potential to force his way back into Mourinho’s plans, but for many, heading to Goodison Park may have been the smart move at this stage of his career.