Everton remain the most interested club when it comes to Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia, despite his release clause expiring yesterday.
That’s according to Corriere dello Sport, who say the Toffees have been ‘confirmed as the most interested club’ in the player and could use Neal Maupay as something of an ace up their sleeve to get him.
They explain that Dia’s release clause, which was worth €25m, expired last night, meaning for the time being he can’t be taken from the Italian club.
He remains in Campania for the time being, but Salernitana haven’t completely ruled out a sale in the coming weeks of the transfer window.
Everton are at the front of the queue for the player and the belief is that their interest is so strong negotiations could start in the coming days.
Quite why they’ve waited for his release clause to expire before starting negotiations is anyone’s guess, particularly as Salernitana president Danilo Iervolino is now looking at a €40m valuation for the striker.
The ace up their sleeve may be Maupay, who Salernitana director of football Morgan de Sanctis has wanted to sign for some time. Indeed, he’s described as a ‘long goal’ of his.
The suggestion is that Maupay could be used as part of some sort of swap deal, although the more likely scenario is that the two clubs do separate deals for accounting purposes.
Dia’s asking price is, though, determined by the fact Salernitana have already paid €12m and owe Villarreal 20% thanks to a sell on clause.
That’s something for Everton to work out as they push to try and finally sign the striker that Sean Dyche is crying out for.
