Everton turned down the chance to sign £36 million French attacker

Everton (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Everton (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Everton were surprisingly offered the chance to sign Atletico Madrid’s second most expensive transfer in history, Thomas Lemar. Along with the Toffees, Arsenal were also offered the Frenchman’s services but both the English clubs have turned down the player.

Lemar was one of the many emerging heroes of AS Monaco’s scintillating 2016-17 season. Leonardo Jardim groomed youngsters like Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Lemar, and others to Ligue 1 glory and a semi-final run in the UEFA Champions League. It was the season when an 18 year old Kylian Mbappe announced himself on the world stage.

Monaco had now produced enticing youngsters who would attract interest across Europe and leave the Principality for mouthwatering sums. While the likes of Silva, Bakayoko, and Mbappe left Monaco in the summer of 2017, Lemar ended up staying at the club. A year later, Atletico Madrid broke their transfer record to sign the Frenchman for £62 million. (This record was later broken by Joao Felix signing for £114 million)

Four seasons after his arrival, Lemar’s output hasn’t been appealing. In fact, Cholo Simeone had put him on the transfer list this season. In 142 appearances for the Los Rojiblancos, Lemar has just managed to net nine goals and provide 17 assists, a poor return for a player capable of playing on the flanks and as an attacking midfielder.

Everton turned down the chance to sign Thomas Lemar

According to L’Equipe, Lemar was placed on the market but failed to attract any interesting offers. The 27 year old will now extend his contract taking a massive 50% pay cut, staying at Atletico until 2027. His current contract was due to expire next season and the Spanish side was hoping to offload him this summer.

The player’s entourage offered their client to Premier League sides Arsenal and Everton but neither club showed any concrete interest in signing the 27 year old. Perhaps, Everton would have been put off by Lemar’s wage demands as well as recurring muscle problems.

The Toffees already have players in the squad that are prone to injuries and are now difficult to offload. The financial stress on the budget is high and Everton have to tread carefully this summer as to not overstep and violate any Financial Fair Play rules. These complications have slowed down Everton’s movement in the transfer window.

With neither side being keen on Lemar, the former AS Monaco attacker will have to sign a new deal with Atletico, albeit, taking a big pay cut as he has three months to demonstrate that he is competent to feature in the France squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Would Thomas Lemar have been a good option for Everton?