Crystal Palace and Everton are both tracking Zakaria El Ouahdi. The 24-year-old right-back currently stars for Belgian Pro League leaders KRC Genk. Africa Foot, via Sport Witness, reports that the Belgian club have set their price at €15 million before the summer window opens.
Crystal Palace and Everton Face €15m Entry Point for Genk’s Zakaria El Ouahadi
The Moroccan international was born in Antwerp on 31st December 2001. He has drawn plenty of interest from ambitious European sides after a string of strong games in Belgium. A source close to the player says Zakaria El Ouahdi has already told Genk he wants to leave at the end of the season.
Africa Foot also says VfB Stuttgart are watching him closely. A Russian club sent over a big-money offer, but the player isn’t interested. Sport Witness has followed this story for months. Their latest report confirms Crystal Palace are prepping a summer move. Both the Eagles and Everton are right in the middle of the race for his signature.
The biggest hurdle comes from PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch club moved fast and reached out to Zakaria El Ouahdi’s team directly. His father manages his career. He reportedly likes the idea of a move to the Eredivisie. At a €15 million valuation, any club that don’t move now will lose ground to those already in talks.
Can Everton Afford to Let PSV Dictate the Pace?
For Everton, this situation is more urgent than it looks. David Moyes’ side currently sit 13th in the Premier League at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. The right-back spot is still a major problem. Nathan Patterson plays, but he hasn’t looked like a consistent Premier League starter yet.
Zakaria El Ouahdi is a different story. He has scored four league goals in only nine games for Genk this season. That is a massive return for a defender and shows he can help out in both halves. He also plays for the Morocco national team. This suggests Zakaria El Ouahdi has goals that go way beyond the Belgian league.
The real point people are missing is the price. A €15m fee is a bargain for a player who is already worth that much on paper. Genk have no reason to drop the price. Also, PSV contacted his father early on. Since his father makes the big career calls, that Dutch connection has a lot of personal weight. Financial offers from England might not be enough to beat that.
Everton need to make an official move before PSV get too far ahead. Once a player like Zakaria El Ouahdi sees a real offer from a Champions League club, the chance to sign him starts to disappear.
