Everton still wants to attract Abdoulaye Dookur, even if they can strike deals with both Allan and James Rodriguez. Carlo Ancelotti is looking to solidify his Toffee’s midfield and is poised to have Allan as his first boss.
A £ 22 million deal with £ 2.6 million worth of accessories has been cleared with Napoli for a Brazilian holder who spent five years in Serie A.
The 29-year-old, who turns 30 in January, remains an important part of Napoli. He played 33 games last season, facing Everton’s top rivals Liverpool at home and away in the Champions League.
But Ancelotti intends to beat the South American away from Naples, and it is believed that personal conditions have been agreed, and Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis publicly said goodbye to the player.
Allan is due to undergo a medical checkup at Merseyside this week, and with his arrival nearly confirmed, Everton is working hard on other deals at the same time.
Everton boss Ancelotti is especially keen to reunite with attacking midfielder Rodriguez, with whom he worked at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Rodriguez, 29, has entered the final year of his Bernabeu contract and Los Blancos are poised to push him further after he only started five times in La Liga last season but want £ 25m for his talents. A possible loan deal was also discussed as an opportunity.
The Colombian has gone through a period of indifference in the Spanish capital since joining the Monaco team for £ 63m following his brilliant performance at the 2014 World Cup.
Ancelotti, the man who signed him at Real Madrid six years ago, is believed to have had phone calls with the player to persuade him to move to Goodison Park.
Rodriguez was dropped from pre-season training due to the champions of Spain. The keeperAncelotti is confident he will complete the playmaker deal before Everton kick off their new Premier League campaign against Tottenham on Sunday 13 September.
But the report adds that even if Allan and Rodriguez are added to the squad, the Italian coach still wants to reinvent Everton’s midfield with another addition, Dookur.
Everton is said to be in talks with Watford over a long-time Frenchman who was linked to the move to Merseyside and was the subject of rejected applications last summer, including one just under £ 37 million.
Watford’s demotion in the championship means they are vulnerable to losing some of their best players, including Dukura, who can play multiple roles in the middle.
The 27-year-old has scored 17 goals and 12 assists in 129 Premier League appearances for the Hertfordshire club. He can be used as an attacking midfielder or in a more defensive role.
With Everton featuring Allan and possibly Rodriguez, Doukur would appear to have been used as a midfielder.
IN Watford observer It was reported last week that with Everton and Watford at odds in the assessments of former Rennes ace, the player also has opportunities outside the Premier League.
Meanwhile, ESPN FC’s Craig Burleigh fears Everton will have a hard time restructuring their starting lineup in the No. 10 Rodriguez area.
“If you are a football fan and are signing a player of this caliber, this level of talent, then this is exciting,” Burleigh told ESPN FC.
“But I just don’t understand where everything fits, to be honest. Cause if you’ve looked at Everton in the last six months or so, they’ve had two at the top.
“That may change, but they stepped forward a little too early with Richarlison and Calvert-Levin, and they used their physical strength to try and fall behind.
“But you have to build everything around [Rodriguez]…
“You have to have runners, workers and vaccinations around you because in general Everton did not dominate the games.
“We know James Rodriguez is not the first in line when it comes to back work, so in terms of talent, yes, but it could be something like Mesut Ozil at Arsenal where you have all that talent. but how does he fit into the current team?
“This is what I see in the current Everton lineup.”
