The Roma enforcer has everything – including, for the first time in two years, his fitness. No wonder Everton are reportedly interested.
Everton’s hopes of signing Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman always seemed quite ambitious. After all, the Italian giants had spent the best part of two years desperately attempting to nurse the injury-stricken Dutchman back to fitness and form and, after seemingly waking from his injury nightmare, the 27-year-old is repaying the club’s faith with a string of imperious performances in Serie A this season.
Yet, according to Tuttomercatoweb, The Toffees were still willing to offer £17 million for a player who has now started 17 more league games this season than the previous two campaigns combined.
Though the January arrival of Morgan Schneiderlin has added that much needed energy and tenacity in midfield, the club would surely consider going all out for Strootman if he was made available in the summer.
Although, according to Marseille boss Rudi Garcia, that is very unlikely to be the case.
“Did we try to buy Strootman in January? Well yes, we did, but in the end it seems that it will be impossible to buy him,” the Frenchman, who fought tooth and nail to bring Strootman to Roma from PSV, told Journal du Dimanche.
“I can say that in the future if a chance to have him here at Marseille were to open up, then I would be ready to get in the car and drive him here myself!”
The former Holland captain was tipped to be one of the world’s most impressive midfielders just a number of years ago, speculation even suggesting he could command a world record transfer fee.
However, although two horrific cruciate ligament threatened to cut short a hitherto exciting career, Strootman appears to be back on track with the Giallorossi and they’d be foolish in the extreme to sell him now. Garcia’s comments suggest his former team are not entertaining such a possibility.
Fortunately, Schneiderlin’s presence and the rise of Tom Davies means the prospect of replacing Gareth Barry in the Everton midfield is rather less daunting.
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