Everton are set to sign AS Monaco defender Djibril Sidibe, according to RTL journalist Bertrand Latour, who had been the focus of widespread Premier League interest.
Marco Silva confirmed the club are in the market for a new right-back this summer following Jonjoe Kenny’s transfer to FC Schalke 04 on loan, having been linked with potential moves for Paris Saint-Germain ace Thomas Meunier and Atletico Madrid’s Santiago Arias.
Newcastle, West Ham United and Crystal Palace, have all been credited with an interest in Sidibe, with the Magpies and Irons thought to have opened negotiations with Les Monegasques in July to discuss a potential transfer.
It was noted at the time that the Stade Louis II natives had given Sidibe permission to leave the Principality, after he struggled for form throughout 2018/19 on the back of losing his place in the France side that lifted the World Cup.
Monaco had rejected offers from Manchester United and Atletico Madrid for Sidibe last summer, with bids of around €25million (£22.9m) understood to have been placed.
France Football claimed in July that the Ligue 1 side are now only expected to demand €15million (£13.7m) for the £60,484-a-week right-back, but conceded that Sidibe had not shown a willingness to make the switch to the Premier League.
Latour’s claims would suggest Silva and Marcel Brands have put forward a convincing enough case to the 27-year-old, although the RTL journalist does not suggest how much we have agreed to pay Monaco or have offered the defender.
If Sidibe does arrive on Merseyside ahead of Thursday’s deadline and is able to regain the form which helped Monaco lift the Ligue 1 trophy in 2017, then Brands and Silva would be acquiring a solid back-up to Seamus Coleman, and someone who could potentially one day replace the Republic of Ireland international in the starting XI.