Could Everton add Benfica’s Andreas Samaris to their growing squad for next season?

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According to reports coming from Portugal on Wednesday afternoon Everton’s summer spending could be set to continue after it appears Benfica have rejected a bid for midfielder Andreas Samaris.

It has been reported by A Bola that the Toffees have had an offer of £14 million (€16 million) turned down for the defensive midfielder as the current Portuguese champions hold out for a bid nearer to £17.5 million, as reported by The Sun.

Now it’s beginning to transpire that it could be a race between Everton and newly-promoted Newcastle to secure their man, with A Bola citing the Magpies’ growing interest just a few days ago.

What could Samaris bring to Goodison Park?

After already spending big on the likes of Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Sandro Ramirez, Henry Onyekuru and Davy Klaassen, there’s no doubt that Ronald Koeman is prepared to spend this year.

And the 28-year-old Greek international has impressed in his time in Portugal – joining up with Benfica from Olympiakos in 2014 – and has quickly become a very useful back-up player for them.

Despite struggling to force himself into the first-team at times, only being awarded nine starts last season, his battling nature in the middle of the park could prove to be an invaluable asset in England.

He is a rugged and a determined type of player, who is strong in the air, winning over 50% of his aerial duels last season, and he is a powerful option to have in the midfield.

Aside from his defensive play he also carries a cool and calm nature on the ball, able to keep possession ticking along in the middle third, and he is able to really drive a team forward from deep.

The only potential question mark over a move is whether Everton really need another defensively minded midfielder when considering they already have Tom Davies, Idrissa Gueye and Gareth Barry in their ranks – but to challenge higher in the league, there is no harm in added strength in depth.

With the Portuguese reports claiming that Samaris hasn’t returned to pre-season training yet with the rest of the Benfica side, an improved offer could now sway him into a move over to Merseyside.