Everton had ‘agreement in principle’ for player before Covid-19 outbreak – ‘Don’t seem to be convinced’ to pay price now

Napoli remain ahead of Everton in the race for Lille defender Gabriel Magalhães, with the Blues now unconvinced about spending the money on him.

That’s according to Sky Sport Italy, who cover the defender’s future on their live transfer blog this afternoon.

Magalhães has long been linked with a move to Everton, with numerous reports indicating their admiration and desire to sign him.

Indeed, Everton appeared to have won the race earlier this year with several outlets indicating they had an agreement with Lille and the player, who had also undergone a medical.

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However, their interest appears to have died down in recent months, with it speculated that the Coronavirus outbreak and the impact that has had on finances had caused them to pull back.

Sky Sports say that is very much the case, reporting that they had an ‘agreement in principle’ to sign the Brazilian before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Now, however, they ‘don’t seem to be convinced’ to pay Lille’s asking price, which is €25m, and that has left Napoli ‘ahead’ in the race for his signature.

They’re keen as it’s believed they will need to find a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League this summer.

Signing Magalhães is likely to be dependant on him leaving first, but it seems, at least for the moment, Everton are not providing as much competition as they once were.