Everton reportedly turned down Lyon winger Memphis Depay this summer

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Everton rejected the opportunity to sign winger Memphis Depay from Lyon this summer, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

They report that Depay was touted around several clubs in England and across the continent, with the Toffees among them – but they turned him down.

Everton locked onto Wilfried Zaha as their top target before turning to Alex Iwobi in a deal that was sealed with Arsenal at the 11th hour.

Depay signed for Manchester United in 2015 and left for Lyon in January 2017, for a fee the BBC reported at the time was £16 million.

Depay’s time in England was a total bust but he has since got his career back on track in Ligue 1 and is now a key player for the Netherlands once more.

That said, it’s not especially surprising that Everton turned him down – questions persist over his attitude and consistency, and there would be obvious concerns about whether he could adapt to the English top flight again.

It remains to be seen if Iwobi works out to be a better signing – he perhaps isn’t as high profile – but he is hard-working, versatile and his attitude is far better than Depay’s.

Everton were not the only club he was offered to, as per the report, and he is still a Lyon player, so the Toffees are far from being the only club with reservations about him.