Report: Everton may have to sacrifice a fan-favourite to land £22.5m Ancelotti target this summer

A worrying transfer report has emerged from Italy this week that’ll send shivers down the spines of Everton supporters.

Calciomercatoweb have claimed that Juventus may try to make the most of the Toffees’ interest in midfielder Adrien Rabiot by trying to arrange a swap deal involving popular left-back Lucas Digne.

It’s believed that the Serie A champions could ask for the Frenchman in return to bolster a key role in their defence.

Earlier this week, Tuttosport said Carlo Ancelotti’s side were leading the charge for Rabiot.

After arriving in Turin on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, the troublesome midfielder has struggled to impress Maurizio Sarri, so much so that they view him as ‘expendable’ this summer.

And as mentioned above, we are reportedly keen on his services.

It’s further suggested that both Rabiot and Digne are valued around €25m (£22.5m) and thus, a swap between both sides would seem viable – at least on I Bianconeri’s part.

Therefore, if Ancelotti is really that keen on landing the French maestro, then he may well have to give up one of his most prized assets.

I don’t think this would be a wise thing to even consider for the Goodison Park chief. Nothing about Rabiot stands out on paper – he’s averaging just 1.7 tackles and 0.7 key passes per game this term, via WhoScored.

Meanwhile, Digne is integral to our fortunes, especially as there is only really an ageing Leighton Baines behind him. If he were to leave, the 35-year-old would become first-choice.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a productive season having provided five assists alongside an average of 2.2 tackles, 2.2 crosses and 2.2 key passes, as per WhoScored.

If it’s a case of Digne or Rabiot, there’s only one answer and it’s certainly not the latter.

Do you agree? What do you think Ancelotti should do?