According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton are NOT in the market to sign Jamaal Lascelles this summer – just days after it was reported that they were readying a £30m bid.
The report confirms that Marco Silva is intent on signing a new centre-back this summer, but they insist that the Newcastle skipper is not a target ‘at this stage’.
Here’s a snippet from the Echo’s piece today:
“Everton are set on signing a new centre-half this summer.
“But the Blues are not in the market for Newcastle United’s Jamaal Lascelles at this stage.
“Newcastle captain Lascelles has been strongly linked with a switch to Everton this week but it is understood that the Blues currently have no intention of trying to sign him.”
With the Liverpool Echo being a local paper and one of the more trusted sources on Merseyside, there’s a good chance they’re right on this one.
This will come as welcome news to us NUFC fans, with the 24-year-old our player of the season and an irreplaceable part of Benitez’s squad, however it doesn’t take away from the fact there’s still several other clubs interested.
The London Evening Standard claimed this morning that Tottenham and Chelsea both see the centre-back as a ‘key target’ this summer – although they stated that we would be unwilling to sell for anything less than £45m.
Good to hear the big-spending Everton are looking elsewhere, but let’s hope the likes of Spurs and Chelsea aren’t as interested as some claim they are.