Everton target may extend contract blowing hopes of another reunion with Ancelotti
Everton target Nikola Maksimovic is considering a contract extension with Napoli.
Everton have already closed the deal with Napoli for Allan after weeks of intense and energy draining negotiations. The Brazilian is set to move to Goodison for €25 million with another €3 million in variables. Carlo Ancelotti was also hoping to reunite with another Naples player, Nikola Maksimovic.
Serbian defender Nikola Maksimovic is in the final year of his contract at Stadio San Paolo and was initially open to exploring his options for the future. Everton, AS Roma and even Arsenal took notice of the situation and made their interest known in the 28 year old.
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Everton were said to be the most interested party with Ancelotti aiming for another reunion with the Serbian, albeit this time at Goodison Park. The Toffees are aiming for defensive reinforcements as they have only three senior centre backs in form of Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.
The Royal Blues missed out on Gabriel Magalhaes and Thiago Silva as the Brazilian duo joined Arsenal and Chelsea respectively. Meanwhile, Napoli wants to keep hold of the Serbian as they prepare for the departure of Kalidou Koulibaly. Initially, the talks over the new contract stalled after the first round of discussions as Napoli and player’s agent, Fali Ramadani, could not agree to the terms.
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The difference in demand of salary was so high that Gli Azzuri even thought of putting him on the market and even Maksimovic was ready to move out. However, Il Napolista reports that after having carefully examined the available offers on the table, Nikola Maksimovic may agree to a new deal at Napoli with slightly better terms than before.
In terms of the monetary package, the new contract is a downgrade to what was expected with Napoli president Aurelio Di Laurentiis refusing to meet the demand of £35,000 a week in wages. Maksimovic may be thinking long term that if Koulibaly departs, he’ll have an extended run in the team and more playing opportunities. In order to play more, he’s even willing to compromise on the monetary package being offered by Napoli.
As for Everton, they will now have to restart their search in the transfer market for a defender. Nikola Maksimovic could have been a decent option but that file could soon be closed. The 5 year contract extension of Michael Keane is a sign that Ancelotti has trust in the Englishman and could possibly be his first choice along with Mason Holgate.
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Nonetheless, the Toffees need another senior centre back and if they fail to sign one this summer transfer window, there is a high probability that Jean-Philippe Gbamin will act as a back up centre back when required.