Everton are reportedly set to up their interest in Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha as the transfer window comes to a close.
The Blues have been chasing the Ivorian winger for a number of weeks after learning of interest from the 26-year-old in making the move north. They had an intial bid of £52 million rejected by the Eagles on July 29, and even released a club statement declaring that they have ended their pursuit.
Yet, Marco Silva’s team have continued to ponder the move as Zaha has returned to pre-season training in Croydon. After the Blues reportedly had a second bid rejected, and Palace sticking to their £100 million valuation, the winger took the extreme step of handing in a transfer request.
However, with the August 8th deadline approaching, Everton are pondering an increased move. According to The Telegraph, the Blues could offer as much as 70 million and include forward Cenk Tosun in the deal.
Tosun, who the Blues rate at around £15 million, was close to a move to Selhurst Park during his time at Besiktas - yet joined Everton in January 2018. He had been of interest to a number of clubs, including Schalke, during this window but injury has hampered the Blues’ ability to put him in the shop window.
McCarthy headed the other way
The two clubs have, however, agreed a separate deal for James McCarthy, with the Republic of Ireland international calling time on his Goodison Park career.
Reports suggested that the fee could reach as much as 8.5 million, but BBC Sport revealed that the deal would be worth closer to around 3 million. There have been murmurings of Everton including McCarthy as a makeweight for Zaha but that has been taken off the table.
The 28-year-old has undergone a medial at Palace’s training ground and is on pace to be announced way before the 5 pm deadline.
Blues set for chaotic deadline day
Elsewhere, the Blues are hopeful of securing moves for AS Monaco’s Djibril Sidibe and a left-sided central defender to provide depth behind Yerry Mina and Michael Keane.
They have ended their interest in Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, but could be interested in Fikayo Tomori if they can’t secure a more senior target.