Everton’s busy start to the January transfer window doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon, with reports coming from SkySports on Wednesday evening that Newcastle had submitted a bid of £22.5m plus Sean Longstaff for ostracised Everton Left Back, Lucas Digne.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Benitez has forced fan favourite Lucas Digne into a situation where leaving the club is his only option. Unsurprisingly, the France international and arguably Everton’s best player since he arrived in 2018 has lots of potential suitors in Italy and the Premier League.
His ability going forward, set piece acumen and surprisingly good aerial ability makes him an excellent solution for many teams issues at Left Back. Staying in England seems most likely given the financial troubles most Serie A clubs seem to be having. Chelsea, West Ham, Aston Villa and of course Newcastle are all rumoured to be keen on the player.
Meanwhile, Everton have long been mentioned with a move for Sean Longstaff. A player who hasn’t lit up trees on Tyneside but of course has a connection with Rafa Benitez, the man who handed him his professional debut in 2016. This interest appears to have resulted in a bid of £1m from Everton as reported by Craig Hope.
Despite, Everton’s obvious need for a central midfielder given Benitez’s refusal to play more than 2 in midfield at the moment there are surely better options in the market than Longstaff. Jesse Lingard comes to mind as another player with little time remaining on his current deal. Alternatively, Everton could carry on their smart transfer strategy and opt for a promising young midfielder, such as Nottingham Forrest Wonderkid Brennan Johnson or Derby’s Jason Knight, both 20 years of age and reportedly available this January.
Toffee Blues says:
2/5 – Whilst, there is clearly interest from both clubs to try and sign the respective players, Lucas Digne is reported to not fancy a move to Newcastle (no one can blame him) and prefers a move to a club with European ambitions. Longstaff seems a more likely deal going in the opposite direction due to having only 6-months remaining on his current deal, though Newcastle are reportedly keen on keeping him, which would be no bad thing as he doesn’t even seem an obvious upgrade on the likes of academy graduate Tom Davies or Portuguese international Andre Gomes. Overall, a swap deal appears unlikely at this stage.
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