On July 25th, Sport reported Everton officials had travelled to Spain to close the signing of Barcelona defender Lucas Digne.
Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo today claims the La Liga winners are negotiating with the Merseyside club for the fullback. Marco Silva’s side have shown ‘more interest’ in securing the services of the 25-year-old.
The transfer is ‘simmering’ and negotiations between the two clubs are ‘firm’ and currently ‘advancing’, although it’s stated there’s no hurry to get things done.
Everton and Barcelona are yet to reach an agreement for the player.
Mundo Deportivo claim there is a notable difference between what the Camp Nou outfit are demanding and what the Premier League club are willing to offer for Digne. The Mirror reported Everton had offered €25m, which is not the price the Spanish champions are demanding.
Barcelona paid €16.5m plus €4m in variables to Paris Saint-Germain in 2016 for the fullback. Ernesto Valverde’s side are hoping to recoup the investment they made to sanction his sale this summer.
The general consensus in the Catalan media is that €16m would do it, but Everton haven’t reached that figure yet.