As reported by Calciomercato, English Premier League outfit Everton are keen to sign Maxime Gonalons from Italian club AS Roma. Crystal Palace are also believed to be in the race for Gonalons but face competition from Everton for the defensive midfielder’s signature.
The Toffees have been strengthening their squad all summer and look to add Maxime to their team before the transfer deadline day. Palace, under the guidance of manager Roy Hodgson, have made the first move for the player and have launched a €12m offer. Roma is looking to balance their books and might see the departure of the Frenchman as an ideal situation. It will pave the way for the Italian giants to bring in new recruits as they look to strengthen the team before the start of the Serie A season.
Roma have set their sights on Sevilla and France international Steven Nzonzi and would like Gonalons to make way for his fellow national compatriot. Maxime signed for the Serie A club last season but failed to make a lasting impact on the coaching staff. He barely featured regularly for Roma and will look for a move away from the club to kick-start his career.
Gonalons spent eight long years at Olympique Lyon before cutting off ties with the Ligue 1 side and signing for Roma. He made 16 appearances for La Magica during the solo season he spent in Italy.
Everton have already completed the signing of Richarlison as the Brazilian Under-21 regular departed from Watford to take up a new challenge at Merseyside and reunite with his former coach Marco Silva. The signing of Maxime Gonalons will add depth to the Everton midfield and defence. Maxime can operate as a centre-back as well and he will keep the squad internally competitive as everyone will fight for a place in the starting 11.
The former Lyon ace is versatile in nature and can play as a central midfielder or as a centre back. However, he is most effective when deployed as a deep-lying defensive midfielder. He is good on the ball and can control the tempo of the game well. He is good at passing the ball out from the back and can start-up a counter-attack with perfection.
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Everton have probably set their targets on a Europa League berth and will prove to be a good obstacle to those who face them next season. Bringing Gonalons in will definitely give their backline an edge over the opponents and hopefully help them to derive better results than the last season.
