According to the Leicester Mercury, Everton are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Dragovic spent the 2017-18 season on loan at Leicester, having made the move to the Foxes from Bundesliga giants Leverkusen on August 31.
The centre-back arrived with a big reputation, but struggled to gain a regular spot in the team – making just 11 Premier League appearances for the former English champions.
Leicester have the option to sign Dragovic on a permanent deal this summer, but the club are believed to be stalling on a move.
And as a result, Everton are considering an approach ahead of the 2018-19 Premier League campaign, according to the Leicester Mercury.
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The report claims that Dragovic would be available for £15m, and West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion are also believed to be closely monitoring developments.
Should Everton make a move?
Dragovic attracted a lot of attention during his time at Dynamo Kiev, but it was Leverkusen that won the race to sign him in August 2016.
The Austria international struggled to make his mark during his first year in German football, however, and switched to Leicester last summer.
The 27-year-old, who is valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, found it difficult to secure a regular spot in the Foxes’ first XI last term – making just 16 appearances in all competitions.
There is no question that Everton need to improve their defence this summer following the arrival of new head coach Marco Silva, but it would be a surprise if they moved for a player who struggled to settle in the Premier League last term.
Indeed, it seems to make more sense to move for Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson, although the 25-year-old has only ever had one season at Premier League level.
