Everton reignite move for electric 38 G/A winger with £20m raid on relegation-bound side lined up | OneFootball

Everton are confirmed admirers of Leicester City star Abdul Fatawu, and reports suggest they are set to go head-to-head with a Premier League rival for the winger’s signature this summer.

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Fatawu was on Everton’s shortlist last summer, before they ultimately opted to bring in Tyler Dibling from Southampton instead, after Leicester’s demands were considered too high.

However, the situation has now shifted. With Leicester in financial turmoil, having been deducted points for breaching the EFL’s profit and sustainability rules, and now on the brink of relegation to League One from the Championship, it is highly likely they will be forced to sell several stars.

Everton are open to adding another winger to their squad for next season, despite being open to potentially keeping hold of loanees Jack Grealish and Tyrique George next season.

The latter, George, still has work to do to convince the Everton hierarchy he is worth the £25million buy option included in the loan agreement with Chelsea.

But even if the duo stay, Fatawu, who has a 38-goal contributions (16 scored, 22 assists) for the Foxes in his 97 appearances, could become an interesting option for Everton. Dwight McNeil came very close to leaving in January, and while he has done fairly well after breaking back into David Moyes’ starting XI, his future on Merseyside is still in doubt.

According to Football Insider, Fatawu is still ‘firmly on the radar’ of the Toffees, and he is ‘ready to jump at the chance to return to the Premier League’, but they face competition for his signature.

Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Everton face competition for 16 G/A Championship winger

The report adds that Sunderland are also big admirers of Fatawu, teeing up a potential transfer battle between the two Premier League clubs.

The 22-year-old, who has notched nine goals and seven assists in 41 appearances in the Championship this season, is set to be one of Leicester’s ‘first sales’ of the summer ‘if they fall into League One.’

The Foxes currently sit second-bottom of the Championship table, five points away from safety, having been deducted six points for financial breaches.

It’s suggested that £20million would be enough to sign Fatawu from Leicester this summer, significantly less than the reported £30million release clause in his contract.

With McNeil facing an uncertain future at Everton and the jury on Chelsea loanee George still out, the Ghanaian international represents an interesting option for the Merseysiders.

Meanwhile, Everton are ‘confident’ of retaining Grealish for next season, having not been put off by a season-ending injury, and another loan deal with Man City is considered the most likely outcome.