Everton turning up the transfer heat means an exciting August
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With more than £550m splurged by Premier League clubs so far this summer, and another £100m likely to be dropped by Manchester United on Paul Pogba alone, the spending record set 12 months ago seems under serious threat.
The magic number is £870m, but with Manchester City’s individual record of £160m set to be toppled by neighbours United, and plenty of clubs still in dire need of freshening up, expect spending to edge even closer to the £1billion mark before the month is out.
Newly-minted Everton are linked with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of talent and, after failing to land bargain forward Marko Arnautovic from Stoke, the Toffees are said to have set their sights somewhat higher.
Wolfsburg inserted a €75m release clause into Julian Draxler’s contract after signing the Germany international from Schalke last summer which becomes active in 2017, having banked the same amount from the sale of Kevin De Bruyne to Man City.
Draxler, who plays as a left-winger/wide forward, recently revealed to media outlet Bild that he has asked Wolfsburg to facilitate a move away, though they insist that he is going nowhere.
The 22-year-old may have expected Arsenal and Juventus, long-time suitors since Draxler’s days in Gelsenkirchen with Schalke, to make the running for his signature, but it’s Everton who are striding off ahead of their more illustrious rivals.
According to the Independent, the Toffees have already opened talks with Wolfsburg, as new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and coach Ronald Koeman try to land a marquee transfer fish, having only managed to flush just shy of £8m away so far on midfielder Idrissa Gueye and goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Whether Draxler would take such a chance is debatable, although Everton meeting Wolfsburg’s number might put the 24-cap Die Mannschaft star in a difficult position, or spur the Gunners and the Old Lady into life.
Either way, Koeman clearly feels he needs a big buy, with defender John Stones and striker Romelu Lukaku being linked with moves away at combined fees topping £110m.
This lively summer is far from over.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
