da leao： Everton have agreed a fee with Barcelona for the signing of 25-year-old French international left-back Lucas Digne, according to Goal.
What’s the story, then?
da dobrowin： The report claims that a fee of up to £22m has been formalised between the Toffees and the Catalan giants.
It says that Digne has grown frustrated with the lack of gametime at the Nou Camp that saw him miss his country’s World Cup triumph and wants to head to Merseyside for a fresh start.
The report references veteran Toffees defender Leighton Baines as the man Digne will have his eye on usurping at Goodison Park, with the Frenchman eight years the Scouser’s junior.
Everton have finally found their Baines successor
Everton’s ageing defence will continue to hamstring their attempts to build a more expansive playing style, regardless of who the manager is, so it is imperative that Marco Silva is given the money to spend on his backline.
It may not set pulses racing like big-money attacking recruits such as Richarlison but freshening up the back four would reenergise the whole Toffees team and a major part of that is finding a suitable replacement for Leighton Baines.
Once upon a time, Brendan Galloway might have hoped to be that man but it has been clear for at least a season that a big-money arrival was needed and Digne fits the bill.
He has outstanding energy and attacking intent, and having the Frenchman and Seamus Coleman bombing on from full-back would give Silva’s new approach a real shot in the arm.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”273047″ player=”12034″ title=”Power Ranking the 1819 Premier League kits”]