We thought we were done with the Idrissa Gueye situation at Everton, and, in some way, we are, but we also aren’t.
Let us explain.
While this doesn’t involve the Senegalese midfielder directly, he still has a part to play in the story, as La Voix du Nord reveal on Monday that the Toffees had reached an agreement with Lille for the transfer of Thiago Mendes.
Not only had the Ligue 1 club agreed on a €23m deal + a few bonuses with Everton for the Brazilian, but they had done the exact same thing with Paris Saint-Germain, covering all bases.
The main idea was that should Gueye end up in Paris, then the Toffees would sign the Brazilian as a replacement.
However, a deal with the Ligue 1 champions was also in place in case Everton pulled the plug on Gueye’s sale, leading Thomas Tuchel to fall back on Mendes as the alternative.
Still with us?
The problem for Lille in all of this is that once Marco Silva made it clear the Senegal international wasn’t going anywhere, Paris Saint-Germain decided to step back from signing Mendes, much to the Brazilian’s ‘disappointment’.
Therefore, the game of musical chairs never took place.
Still, there’s always the summer.
