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Everton and West Ham have ‘taken initial steps’ to sign Burnley defender Maxime Estève this summer.

That’s according to L’Equipe, who say both clubs ‘want to move forward’ on a potential deal for the Burnley man this summer.

The newspaper reports that despite only arriving at Burnley from Montpellier in the January transfer window, there is a distinct possibility that Estève could leave Turf Moor this summer.

He played in all of Burnley’s Premier League matches following his arrival and that’s earned him attention in the Premier League, with Everton and West Ham both firm admirers of him.

They’ve already ‘started preliminary discussions’ regarding the Frenchman, who cost €12m when he joined the Clarets earlier this year.

Whether Burnley would be open to a sale isn’t mentioned, nor is the price they would be looking to secure should Estève depart at any point. It is easy to assume, though, it would be more than the €12m they’ve already paid.

Everton’s interest is certainly interesting given the consistent rumours regarding Jarrad Branthwaite, while West Ham’s is less so given their well-established defensive issues this season and the feeling Julen Lopetegui would be targeting that area of the team this summer.