Everton hope to sell Tom Davies before the end of the transfer window but Premier League rivals Southampton would rather sign the midfielder on loan, according to Sky Sports.
In January 2017, two fresh-faced youngsters announced themselves to a rocking Goodison Park crowd with a pair of brilliantly taken goals in a 4-0 shellacking of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
More than three years later, however, Liverpool-born Davies appears to be on the verge of following Ademola Lookman out the door.
The 22-year-old academy graduate, with his rolled-down socks and skater-boy locks, appeared to go from bright young thing to struggling scapegoat on the blue half of Stanley Park.
Everton fans can be a belligerent bunch at times and Davies has taken plenty of flack from the terraces after struggling to live up to lofty expectations at a club that famously gave us Wayne Rooney all those years ago.
Davies has now fallen behind new recruits Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan in Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order.
Sky claims Everton are keen to cash in on a player who has featured in just one minute of Premier League football in 2020/21.
Agreeing a deal with Southampton could prove problematic, however, given the Saints are only interested in a loan deal at this stage.
There will be doubts over whether the youngster is the man to replace departed captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at St Mary’s but, in Ralph Hasenhuttl, Southampton have a coach who is at his best when helping talented prospects unlock their potential.
Everton’s opening fixtures of the 2020/21 season
- Tottenham (A)
September 12
- West Brom (H)
September 19
- Crystal Palace (A)
September 26
- Brighton (H)
October 3
- Liverpool (H)
October 17
- Southampton (A)
October 26
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