Everton have made contact over a late deal to sign highly rated Belgian defensive midfielder Mandela Keita from Parma, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
Everton have already made significant moves in the ongoing transfer window as David Moyes looks to strengthen his squad and mount another ambitious push for European football after missing out last season.
The Toffees have made the permanent additions of Tyrique George and Merlin Röhl from Chelsea and Freiburg, respectively, with both players having spent last season at the club on initial loan deals.
The club have also prioritised further attacking reinforcements, recently agreeing a swap deal with Crystal Palace to bring in Brennan Johnson, while Dwight McNeil moved in the opposite direction.
The club have also beaten several competitors to sign last season’s Championship Player of the Season, Hayden Hackney, from Middlesbrough. In addition, former Brentford captain Christian Norgaard has arrived from Arsenal to provide more combativeness and experience in the middle of the park.
It appears midfield reinforcement is far from over, as Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Everton have expressed interest in signing Parma’s Keita.
Combative midfielder
David Moyes’ side are already stepping up efforts to sign the 24-year-old, with Di Marzio adding that the Toffees have made contact over the Belgian’s potential transfer to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
However, Everton are not alone in the race and are set to battle with Italian side AS Roma in the race to sign Keita before the transfer deadline, Di Marzio adds.
While Keita has earned a reputation for his defensive work rate, his on-ball qualities are equally exceptional. Despite Parma’s poor start to the Serie A campaign, where they’ve lost their opening two matches, the 24-year-old has remained one of the team’s best players.
In 165 minutes this season, he has won a sky-high 77.8% of his contested ground duels while playing a pivotal role in possession, completing 91.2% of his passes and showing remarkable long-passing ability with a 75.0% success rate.
Despite an impressive individual start to the season, it can be argued that Keita’s performances from last season ranked him in the 98th percentile among Serie A midfielders for duels won and the 95th percentile for long passes.
With talks ongoing with Parma, Everton will need to submit a concrete offer above his £17m Transfermarkt valuation to trump Roma in the race to sign Keita before the transfer deadline.
Other News
