Everton boss Ronald Koeman is reportedly keen on adding the midfielder to his ranks this month.
News emanating from Italy today suggests that Everton could miss out on their primary transfer target Franck Kessie, after Roma submitted an offer for the Ivorian, that would see Leandro Paredes head in the opposite direction, according to Italian media outlet CalcioMercato.
Although any kind of deal for the 20-year-old is far from complete, the news will be worrying for Ronald Koeman, who sees the Atalanta midfielder as the ideal addition to his squad this month.
Franck Kessie in action for Atalanta
The most concerning development for the Toffees in the report from CalcioMercato is that the Serie A side are particularly favourable to the deal offered by Roma because they would acquire the services of Paredes, on top of receiving a healthy transfer fee.
Everton have proved that they are not afraid to splash the cash this season, with an array of big money signings, including the reported £25 million spent on Yannick Bolasie.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman
And if they truly want to gatecrash the big time, they may have to just go that extra mile if they want to bring Kessie to Goodison Park, and he is a player of such quality that he would make a monumental difference to the Toffees, not just this season, but over the next decade or so.
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