Report: Everton player wanted by rich club, £70m budget this summer

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Everton left-back Lucas Digne has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park this summer, according to Le10 Sport.

The report claims that the Toffees star is being eyed by Ligue 1 side Nice, who reportedly want to invest a good chunk of their transfer budget on him in the close season.

Digne became Marco Silva’s second signing as Everton boss in summer 2018 when he joined from La Liga giants Barcelona and has become a firm fan favourite at Goodison Park.

To date, the Frenchman has made 67 competitive appearances for the Toffees, scoring five goals and claiming 11 assists.

While most of the football industry is expected to take a huge blow from the repercussions of the global health crisis, Nice aren’t in such a predicament, with Ineos, owned by Britain’s richest man Jim Ratcliffe, having taken over the club last summer.

According to Le10 Sport, Nice have around £70million set aside to spend on new players, and a figure of around £26.5million has been mentioned as a potential sum with which they’ll try to tempt Everton into selling.

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While Nice seem to have plenty of money at their disposal, Everton aren’t exactly doing badly themselves.

With Carlo Ancelotti at the helm and a new stadium in the pipeline, things are more exciting than they’ve been for a long time in the blue half of Merseyside, and they’re unlikely to let one of their star players leave – particularly for £26.5million.

Would a bigger bid suffice? Unless it’s something stratospheric, it’s unlikely – Everton aren’t in need to sell anyone at present.