Everton are ready to offer Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure an eye-watering contract as we bid to sign the Frenchman this summer, according to Football Insider.
Doucoure has once again emerged as a potential transfer target for the Toffees following the club’s failed efforts to acquire the 27-year-old a year ago, with the Blues board keen to capitalise on Watford’s relegation from the Premier League.
But efforts to sign Carlo Ancelotti’s ‘priority’ target have thus far proved insufficient, with Director of Football Marcel Brands’ initial offer deemed unsatisfactory as the Hornets strive to retain a near-mainstay of their side.
It has been suggested that our offer for Doucoure fell short of Watford’s £25million valuation, and only an initial fee in that region would be enough for the Hertfordshire side to green light a move.
The powerhouse central midfielder had allegedly agreed to personal terms with Everton to ensure he remains in the top-flight as Watford prepare for life back in the Championship, while informing his agent of his intentions to leave Vicarage Road as soon as possible.
Those claims have not been supported by Football Insider, however, as they allege we are willing to make Doucoure our highest-paid player with a £120,000-per-week contract as Brands must still convince the former U21 international of moving to Goodison Park.
Yerry Mina and Bernard are currently out top-paid players on deals worth £120,000-p/w, while key figures such as Andre Gomes (£112k-p/w), Jordan Pickford (£100k-p/w) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (£100k-p/w) round out the top-five.
A second bid for Doucoure is expected to be tabled in due time, with Brands and Ancelotti looking to build a side capable of challenging for Europa League football next season.
Is Doucoure worth £25m plus a £120k-p/w contract?
Yes
No
Brands and Ancelotti must pull out all the stops to add Doucoure to the squad ahead of next season, even should it mean making the Frenchman our joint-top-earner, as the 27-year-old will offer the perfect central driving force for the 4-4-2 the boss has favoured since his arrival.
Doucoure may have only managed four goals and two assists over 37 Premier League appearances as Watford were relegated, but he was registered by SofaScore as also creating six big chances for his Hornets teammates to score while missing four himself in the 2019/20 season.
The imposing Frenchman further offered Watford a solid player with 1.0 key balls, 35.5 accurate passes (78%), 59.3 touches, 1.7 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, clearances and possession won, made 1.1 successful dribbles (60%) and won 3.2 ground duels and 1.5 aerial duels per league game.
Add his all-round performances to Ancelotti’s ranks and we would have a far superior option in one of the two central midfield roles the Italian often favours.
Everton are that slow at conducting transfer business we will probably miss out on all our targets due to the fact we are mingebags when handing over money. Grow a pair of balls Marcel Brands and get the job done, or we run the risk of losing Don Carlo. He will walk away from us if he doesn’t get the players that he requires to do the job we all expect of him. Come on Everton stand by him.