Earlier this month, Everton were linked with Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada who is set to become a free agent in the summer. The Toffees were keeping an eye on the Japanese international’s situation but they have now been handed a blow in the chase of Kamada.
It is difficult to fathom that Everton have gone from having the likes of James Rodriguez and Lucas Digne creating chances to just Alex Iwobi bringing creativity in the side. Make no mistake, Iwobi has been tremendous for Everton this season but the Toffees do not have a reliable creative outlet other than the Nigerian.
When Rodriguez was at Everton, the team would have to barely rely on other players to create chances as the Colombian would take care of the majority of chance creation in the opponent half. Everton have been lacking a playmaker and are nowhere close to finding a viable player in the market.
Everton set to lose out on Daichi Kamada as Borussia Dortmund close in on free transfer
When Kamada was linked to Everton, it was seen as an attempt to bring in an attacking midfielder who will give both goals and assists consistently. The 26 year old has 12 goal contributions (seven goals, five assists) in 19 Bundesliga games this season. With these kind of impressive stats, a number of clubs across Europe were paying attention to Kamada’s situation.
The Japanese international signed a three year contract extension in 2020. He is now in the final five months of his contract in Frankfurt and has the freedom to negotiate a pre-contract agreement. Kamada was inching closer to leaving Frankfurt as he wanted a fresh challenge. The Toffees and Tottenham remained admirers from England, meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund also kept eyes on him.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Dortmund are now closing in on Kamada. The 26 year old is on course to join Dortmund in June as a free agent and contracts could be signed soon. The player has agreed a five year deal verbally and will earn between €5.5 million to €6 million a season. Dortmund have managed to beat the competition and sign Kamada on a free transfer which is a huge coup given that he still has a market value of €30 million.
Everton were loosely linked and losing the Kamada race may alter their summer plans. The Toffees will look to sign an attacking midfielder who brings imagination to the midfield.
Have Everton missed out on a magnificent player in Daichi Kamada?