Everton are reportedly interested in a move for Bayern Munich full-back Juan Bernat, as their search for a left-back begins.

The Blues have already added to their squad during this January window - signing Cenk Tosun from Besiktas and more recently Theo Walcott from Arsenal - but they’re also still in the market for a left-sided defender.

With experienced full-back Leighton Baines sidelined for an extended spell, Sam Allardyce has turned to Cuco Martina, a natural right back, to fill the void but the Curaçao international has been less than impressive in recent weeks.

Former youth prospect Luke Garbutt has not been registered to Blues’ Premier League squad, meaning he has spent his time with the Under-23s.

Now, with two attacking signings made, the club are set to begin their search for a left-back and Bernat is one of the first names linked with a move.

Who is Juan Bernat?

The 24-year-old joined Bayern Munich from Valencia in 2014 and has made over 100 appearances for the German side in a variety of positions.

This season, however, he has found game time hard to come by, making only two appearances from a possible 18.

He was sidelined with ligament damage to start the Bundesliga season and did not recover from his injury until November but he is said to be available to leave Munich before the window closes.

With the possibility of winning a spot in Spain’s World Cup squad, the versatile 24-year-old is said to be considering his options and the Blues could swoop for a cut-price move.

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Other Targets

Everton have also reportedly been interested in a move for Manchester United’s Luke Shaw but his availability seems in doubt following a return to the Red Devil’s first-team squad.

The Blues have also reportedly inquired about the possibility of a move for Celtic’s Kieran Tierney but with the highly sought after 20-year-old signing a long-term contract not long ago, he looks to be tied down to Celtic Park.

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About the author
Connor Bennett
Everton editor for VAVEL UK - contributing since 2015. Premier League accredited journalist. Journalism graduate from Liverpool. Writing about Football, eSports and the NFL. Email: [email protected] | Twitter: ConnorBennett14