Everton could miss out on signing Jacob Greaves with Championship side Burnley prepared to pay £15million for him in an embarrassing start to the transfer window.
Alex Crook reported for talkSPORT (4 June) that Hull City will struggle to keep hold of their star defender with Burnley set to challenge Everton and West Ham for his signature.
The recently relegated Clarets are set to bid £15m for the Englishman, which could see the Toffees unable to compete this summer.
This could prove to be a devastating start to the window in a deal which could leave egg on the Toffees’ face.
Everton could miss out on Hull City’s Jacob Greaves
It would certainly be highly frustrating for Sean Dyche to miss out on one of his transfer targets this summer to a Championship side.
After securing Premier League safety with time to spare, there was hope that the summer would represent the start of a new era.
Starting the transfer window by losing out on a target to a team like Burnley who have just been relegated without a fight, it could be embarrassing.
Although the Toffees are not in desperate need of a centre-back, the signing of Greaves would still represent a great piece of business.
The Englishman was easily one of the best players in the division last season despite playing for a Hull side that missed out on the play-offs.
It must be said that with James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite already at the club, Greaves may not be guaranteed a starting role.
This could make spending over £15m a slight waste despite the quality that he undoubtedly possesses.
It appears as if the Toffees are looking in different markets to sign players and the Championship is a league that consistently produces talent.
Sides like Crystal Palace have thrived from purchasing players frequently from the second division and now Everton may look to do the same.
The problem, though, is that takeover situation is dragging on for so long that signing targets ahead of other clubs – even in the second tier – is proving very difficult.
