As Everton edge closer to a deal for teenage Sporting striker Youssef Chermiti, the Blues have had a loan bid for Manchester City’s Rico Lewis turned down.
According to this story, City have apparently had a number of Premier League and Championship clubs interested in taking the youngster and the Toffees are mentioned as one of them who have made a a formal approach to take him for this season.
Everton were in competition for Lewis with Brighton, Leeds United and Southampton for the versatile 18-year-old defender or midfielder.
However, the treble-winners are not willing to let him leave the Etihad for the coming campaign and presumably will be giving him more first-team minutes as they attempt to defend the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League next season
Lewis would perhaps have been a shrewd addition if the Toffees had got him on loan. He can play a number of different positions including left-back where Everton are short of viable options.
At the moment the Blues only have Vitalii Mykolenko who has not convinced he can cope with the Premier League and Ashley Young who is 38 and while he can operate at left-back, lacks pace obviously.
So, the City youngster might well have made a good addition providing an extra option in that position and an alternative to Mykolenko and Young.
In other breaking transfer news the Toffees are now claimed to be in talks with Southampton for both Che Adams and Kalmadeen Sulemana.
Yesterday, we discussed the possibility of Adams joining the club as he is another forward long linked off and on with a move to Merseyside.
Sulemana was also mentioned as a possible target and supposedly was close to signing for Everton in January.
While the Blues look to be about to add a young starlet in Chermiti, given his age and inexperience he is surely not going to be trusted with scoring the goals the team so badly needs.