Everton Boosted As Club ‘Abandoned The Pursuit’ Of Defender | OneFootball

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Everton have received a boost in the chase for Portuguese defender Diogo Leite after Serie A side Lazio ‘abandoned the pursuit’.

Leite initially joined Bundesliga club Union Berlin on loan from FC Porto in the summer of 2022 before the German club completed a permanent deal for the defender a year later.

The 27-year-old made 25 Bundesliga appearances for Union Berlin last season, although a muscle injury kept him out of action for more than a month.

Following a series of impressive defensive performances, the left-footed centre-back has attracted interest from across Europe and is now available as a free agent after leaving Union Berlin.

Leite first emerged as a target for Everton in May, when it was suggested that the Toffees were interested in signing the Portuguese, alongside Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Sociedad and Besiktas.

It was later suggested that a Saudi Arabian side was also ‘entering the race strongly’ for the defender.

Everton will be looking to add at centre-back this summer, with Michael Keane and James Tarkowski now well into their 30s.

Lazio have been looming large as heavyweight competitors for Everton in the chase for Leite’s signature, but now they are no longer an issue.

The Serie A side have ‘abandoned the pursuit’ of Leite, according to Italian daily Il Messaggero (via La Lazio Siamo Noi).

Lazio had been working on tempting Leite to Rome in recent weeks, but have now dropped that idea.

Now it remains to be seen if Everton step up their chase for the Portuguese defender.

David Moyes is expected to keep a close eye on the club’s spending this summer, making Leite’s free-agent status an attractive proposition for Everton.

However, the Toffees may still need to put a sizeable salary package on the table if they are to fend off competition for the Portuguese defender.

With the summer transfer window approaching, Everton’s recruitment team are hard at work, and are keen on signing midfielder Cesare Casadei, but Torino ‘have no intention’ of selling unless a substantial bid is put on the table.