Everton plotting bargain basement Arsenal deal to cover Seamus Coleman
Everton are reportedly lining up a £5million move for Arsenal defender Calum Chambers in January, as they look for cover for veteran star Seamus Coleman.
Chambers joined the Gunners in 2014 from their Premier League rivals Southampton for a fee in the region of £16m. However, the 26-year-old has never managed to nail down a regular place in the starting line-up under either Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery or Mikel Arteta.
Indeed, the three-times capped England international has made just 74 Premier League appearances for the club.
Toffees boss Rafa Benitez was tipped to raid the Emirates for another Arsenal star in Ainsley Maitland-Niles during the summer. However, it now appears that he has his eyes on Chambers instead.
Benitez wants cover at right-back for Coleman, who has been blighted by injuries in the past.
Chambers would certainly provide an experienced option and he would also come very cheap.
The report in The Sun claims that the versatile defender, who can also play at centre-back, would cost around £5m. The lower fee is down to his contract expiring in the summer of 2022.
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Everton move for Serie A star ‘concrete’
Meanwhile, Everton’s interest in a Serie A attacker also wanted by Chelsea and Newcastle is ‘increasingly concrete’, as per reports.
Rafa Benitez’s side sit 11th in the Premier League table heading into the 12th round of fixtures. They have beaten the likes of Southampton and Burnley but have struggled to maintain a good run of form.
The Toffees are winless in their five league matches, a run which Benitez will be desperate to end. Their first game back after the international break is against Man City on Sunday.
Everton will undoubtedly need new additions if they are to reach their goal of getting back into Europe. They are some way behind West Ham and Leicester, who have both broken into the top six in recent seasons.
It’s no surprise that club scouts are looking at top-quality players from across Europe. Lorenzo Insigne is one name which continues to crop up on their wish list.
The left-winger captains Napoli in Serie A. He has been in good form this term, helping Luciano Spalletti’s men to top the table on 32 points.
Insigne contract running down
Insigne is fond of Napoli but is now in the final 12 months of his contract. With talks over an extension yet to reach a breakthrough, there is some uncertainty over where he will be ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
Sport Witness, citing reports coming out of Italy, state that Everton have ‘increasingly concrete’ interest in the player.
They are willing to pay him €6m per season for three years, in addition to a €7m signing on bonus. This is significantly more than what Napoli can pay.
Benitez already has a relationship with Insigne, having worked with him at Napoli between 2013 and 2015.
However, the Merseyside club are not alone in the transfer race. Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia is willing to give the green light for the Blues to launch a bid.
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