Everton reportedly failed with their initial bid to sign Lucas Verissimo.
The report claims that the Toffees wanted to sign the 24-year-old initially on loan with an option to buy at the end of this season.
However, Santos president, José Carlos Peres, wants to sell him straight away in order to raise funds before the end of this window.
It is unclear if Everton are willing to splash that cash to sign him on a permanent deal. The Toffees certainly need reinforcements in the heart of their defence considering that they have just Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate as their senior defenders.
All three of them have had their shaky moments this season and it wouldn’t be surprising if Ancelotti would want to replace one or even two of them this month. If Everton decide to pay the money to sign Verissimo this month, it would be a decent deal but he is in no way ready to start regularly in the Premier League.
The 6ft 2in Brazilian has been solid in the Serie A over the last two seasons. His brilliant tackling has been the highlight of his career so far and not many in the league are better than him when it comes to one-on-one defending.
However, Verissimo’s positioning when Santos aren’t in possession has been horrific at times. The Brazilian also lacks any kind of experience at the highest level in Europe which will make it incredibly difficult for him to adjust to the pace and intensity of the Premier League.
With time, Verissimo has the potential to be a top defender especially if he gets to train under someone like Ancelotti. However, there are a number of different options elsewhere in the world who would offer more value to the money Everton will be spending this month.
Toffees fans shouldn’t be too upset if their club fail to sign Verissimo in this month’s transfer window. Ancelotti should, however, pursue other defenders who are capable of coming in and doing a job from day one.
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