Everton are ‘exploring’ a late swoop to hijack West Ham’s move to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler before deadline day, as per Florian Plettenberg.
The Spain international is reportedly out of Luis Enrique’s plans this season which has led to interest from other clubs including West Ham – who have been closely linked with the midfielder in recent weeks.
L’Equipe reported recently that the Hammers are ‘close’ to striking a deal to sign Soler following positive talks last week between the two clubs.
However, it looks like Everton are trying to hijack West Ham’s proposed move as Plettenberg claims the Toffees have now made contact with PSG to discuss taking the midfielder to Goodison Park.
The German transfer guru adds that West Ham still maintain a keen interest in the 27-year-old and are plotting the ‘next steps’ to seal a transfer for the former Valencia midfielder before the transfer deadline.
With a contract at Parc des Princes that runs until 2027, PSG are looking to sell Soler this month and will rebuff any loan offers for the midfield gem, according to Plettenberg.
Soler would be a key addition to Sean Dyche’s midfield but beating a free-spending West Ham side to the transfer of the midfielder will be difficult. Soler is valued at €20m (£16m) by Transfermarkt so both clubs should be able to afford PSG’s asking price.
Everton plot Soler hijack
Everton were off to the worst possible start to the season losing their third consecutive opening day fixture with a 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton and Hove Albion last Saturday.
Their midfield was run over by an energetic Brighton side who dominated large phases of the game. The Everton squad is screaming for a quality midfielder to improve their squad and signing Soler would be something of a coup for them.
West Ham on the other hand are the Premier League’s busiest side in the transfer window having completed eight transfers so far this summer.
They look to be ahead in the race for Soler having been linked with the Spaniard for large parts of the summer, but Everton could scupper their plans with a hijack.
Although the Toffees have already signed Tim Ireogbunam and Jesper Lindstrøm to reinforce their midfield, adding a top-level midfielder like Soler would undoubtedly see an enhancement in the team’s performance, as they hope to avoid the drop this season.
Everton will aim for their first away win against Tottenham Hotspur since 2020 when they travel to North London to face Spurs on Saturday, 24th August.
