Everton could be handed their chance to sign highly rated Schalke midfielder Assan Ouédraogo in the January transfer window as the German club need to sell to avoid a clause for next summer.
That’s according to SportBILD, who explain Schalke are keen to avoid losing the 17-year-old to a Bundesliga side on the cheap.
They explain that Schalke’s best player can leave the club after this season via a release clause in his contract which means Bundesliga clubs can sign the U17 international next summer for a ‘measly’ €7m.
RB Leipzig are very interested and believe they are in pole position to get the ‘super talent’, who Schalke had always been hoping to sell for a ‘hefty transfer fee’ that would transform the club.
That opportunity appears to have been missed, though, and they are now scrambling to work out a deal in January to avoid the youngster going on the cheap next year.
Indeed, their need to avoid losing him for €7m is clear as such a figure wouldn’t even cover the interest they are currently paying on a yearly basis on their debts.
Finding a suitor outside of Germany shouldn’t be difficult and Everton were one of the clubs recently named as keeping a close eye on them.
A report earlier this month stated they and Liverpool could do something of a Merseyside battle for him and stated he’d be available for €20m next summer as well.
It seems unlikely Everton would pay such a figure, or even be able to, but it seems anything over €7m would now been seen as a massive plus for Schalke.
Perhaps a structured deal based on various factors would work, it’s certainly something Everton have used to their advantage over the last two years amid their own financial problems.
That’s something for Kevin Thelwell and his team to look at but there is certainly a deal there to be done for Ouédraogo in January if they want it.
