The early to mid part of Everton’s summer rumour mill had Axel Witsel as a big part of it. Every window, the Zenit midfielder is said to be on the verge of a transfer, and every window something goes wrong and a deal falls to pieces.
Witsel is on very high wages at Zenit and previously the club had also been able to command a very high transfer fee, but this summer things looked a little different.
With Witsel having less than a year left on his current deal, Zenit were under more pressure than previously.
Speaking to Dolce Sport in Romania, the club’s manager Mircea Lucescu claimed that the Everton reports had at least contained some truth: “We had a serious proposal from Everton, the player refused. he has two days to agree with Juventus, and they in turn with Zenit, for a possible transfer.”
It seems Witsel was holding out for a move to Juventus, and he may well get it, but it would be no surprise if that fell to pieces and the midfielder was in a similar situation come the January window.
