Everton have been given the green light to make a move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot as Frank Lampard looks to rebuild his squad.
What’s the news?
That’s according to The Telegraph, who stated that the Frenchman wants to leave the Serie A club this summer for a move to the Premier League and could be available for £15m.
Everton first reported interest in the player back in March and made contact to enquire about Rabiot’s situation, and recent developments have given Lampard a boost in his pursuit of the player.
He could be Everton's own Pogba
It's no secret that Lampard faces a hugely important summer transfer window in charge of the Toffees as he looks to improve on a terrible league campaign last season.
Avoiding relegation should never be the goal for a club the size of Everton, and a poor start next term could cost the 44-year-old his job, but initial signs are looking positive on the transfer front.
A deal for James Tarkowski looks close to being officially announced, and with interest in Chelsea trio Armando Broja, Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill ramping up, it could end up being a solid first few weeks of the transfer window at Goodison Park.
A move for Rabiot would be the pick of the bunch, though. Considering his talent and expertise at the highest level, he should slot into the Everton midfield with ease.
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon compared Rabiot to French international team-mate Paul Pogba, saying: “He is a fantastic mix, he has the physical strength of Pogba, who is like a wardrobe, has the personality of Vidal and potentially the dynamism of Marchisio. He is incredible, extremely strong.”
Pogba has had his struggles, but he has played more than 400 times in his club career so far, winning trophies in Italy and England, along with achieving World Cup glory among his 91 caps for France, and Lampard could be looking to add his own version of the 29-year-old to the Everton squad in Rabiot.
Over his career, the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has a career average of 7.03 on WhoScored, with 31 goals and 23 assists to his name from 369 club appearances.
His experience could be exactly what Everton need going forward, and the move appears to be a no-brainer for the aforementioned fee.