The end of January was a very frantic time for Lille in France, turning down offers left, right and centre for some of their players.
Among those was a reported €22m offer from Everton for Adama Soumaoro, with La Voix du Nord claiming the Toffees had made the 25-year-old first choice to bolster their squad at centre-back.
Sam Allradyce eventually went for Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala on loan after Gérard Lopez, Lille’s owner, decided to block all exits to avoid further weakening the club at a time when they were battling against relegation.
That claim was later refuted by L’Equipe, who reported Lille lied to the media to try and look good in front of investors.
Either way, if Everton were interested in Soumaoro, they won’t be getting him this summer, according to Foot Mercato, as the player has decided he wants to stay a further year in the north of France to prove his worth after spending much of last season injured.
The only way he would leave is if Lille and the player received offers ‘neither could refuse’.
So, if the Toffees still want them, they now know what they have to do.
