Everton are reportedly all set to go on a full throttle in the summer and sign their long-term target Youri Tielemans. The Toffees have been an admirer of the midfielder for long now and wouldn’t risk wasting time on the hot prospect, who has also garnered a lot of interest from numerous clubs across Europe.
Everton have been one of the best teams in the Premier League in the new year. The Merseyside club had started the season in an inconsistent manner and the Dutch boss has done brilliantly to turn around the table. The Toffees now sit in the seventh position with 58 points having a safe 11 points lead over eight placed West Bromwich Albion and Ronald Koeman’s men have more than qualified for the Europa League next season.
And Europa League has always seemed more like a punishment for the sides qualifying for it. A number of fixtures a team has to play in the tournament gives enough room for fatigue and injuries as we have seen this season with Manchester United. In a crucial juncture, the Red Devils had to suddenly do without Marcos Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the rest of the season.
And going by that, Everton’s desperateness to bring in Tielemans despite the number of midfielders present in the squad makes total sense. Of course, the Belgian international will have a huge competition to break into the first team with experienced individuals like Gareth Barry, Morgan Schneiderlin, James McCarthy and vibrant players like Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies, already fighting for a place.
However, Tielemans has all the attributes to better them in every department. The Anderlecht midfielder has scored 12 goals and registered eight assists so far and with Everton have been scouting him for over a year, they are well aware of his strengths.
They are reportedly willing to pay for him a whopping £21million and remove any competition whatsoever from the picture.
He will surely choose his next destination wisely given his immature age and his awareness of still being an unproven prospect in the world football. An academy product of Anderlecht, Tielemans has made over 170 appearances for the side and his eye-catching displays have also earned him three national caps so far.
His contract with the club runs till 2020 and they are well aware of the immense traction, the youngster has gained. And they will only sell him if a decent offer comes their way.
