Everton are reportedly keen on Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo, but the Toffees only want to loan the Argentine.
According to a report from the Daily Mail’s live transfer blog (8/8; 7:54 am), Everton are interested in signing Marcos Rojo from Manchester United on deadline day, but Marco Silva would prefer to loan the centre-back initially.
The Toffees have enjoyed a very impressive window, with Andre Gomes returning on a permanent basis and Fabian Delph, Moise Kean and Jean-Philippe Gbamin amongst those to have arrived at Goodison Park.
But they go into the final hours of the window still looking for defensive reinforcements, with the Daily Mail reporting that they have failed to land both Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea. It is noted that a deal for the latter looks even more unlikely as David Luiz edges closer to a move to Arsenal.
The Daily Mail adds on its live transfer blog (8/8; 7:54 am) that Silva is a long-time admirer of Rojo and remains keen to bring him to Merseyside before the deadline passes. However, while the report notes that the Argentine is available, Everton are hoping that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men will agree to an initial loan deal.
The Mail notes that the Toffees have concerns about the 29-year-old’s injury record, so are more reluctant to sign the defender on a permanent basis.
It would be a gamble to sign Rojo permanently given that he has only managed to make 10 Premier League starts across the last two seasons, with just a further four appearances coming from the bench in that time.
If the two clubs could agree a loan deal, it may make a lot of sense for all parties. United will lose out initially, but if Rojo rediscovers his best form, Everton will surely want to pay the fee to keep him permanently, especially after being unable to bring Zouma back following an inspired loan last season.
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