Everton and Aston Villa have received a major boost in their hunt to sign an attacking star this summer, with his club now resigned to losing the Premier League target.
Everton and Aston Villa battle for La Liga winger
With Champions League football secured, Aston Villa can breathe a sigh of relief and look ahead to what could be a busy summer of reinforcements.
Whilst their PSR issues haven’t evaporated entirely, the Villans should at least have a license to welcome fresh at the right price for Unai Emery.
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As for Everton, they’ve also got ambitions of their own. The Toffees weren’t a world away from European qualification, themselves, this season and will be hoping to use the transfer window to bridge that gap.
It’s always a good sign when their transfer ambitions are matching up to sides like Villa and that could see both clubs enter an expensive battle to sign a La Liga star.
According to TeamTalk, Real Betis are fearful that they’ll have to sell Abde Ezzalzouli amid interest from both Aston Villa and Everton this summer, while Newcastle are also in the mix, as several clubs line up to trigger his €60m (£52m) release clause.
The Spanish club are fully expecting to lose the talented winger in the coming months, with the City Football Group also targeting a big-money swoop.
Once a Barcelona gem, Ezzalzouli is finally showing his potential at Real Betis. Just this season, the 24-year-old was involved in 28 goals in all competitions, which would make him Everton’s leading talisman.
Whether the Toffees are willing to spend a record fee to welcome the winger remains to be seen. The numbers certainly suggest that he’d be worth the money.
Ezzalzouli has been likened to Kvaratskhelia
Their pursuit of Ezzalzouli is exactly why Aston Villa had to secure Champions League football. It should put them in a far stronger position to fend off competition from Everton and finally land a consistent, goalscoring winger on a permanent basis.
At a time when the Premier League is so focused on pragmatism too, a player like Ezzalzouli would instantly stand out. Como scout Ben Mattinson went as far as to compare the winger to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and it’s easy to see why when looking at the take-on numbers.
Kvaratskhelia (44) has completed just five more take-ons than Ezzalzouli (39) this season
There’s a long way to go before the Betis man can match the PSG star all the way, but the potential is there for all to see. If Villa have the money to spend this summer, then they should not hesitate to trigger the winger’s release clause.
As for Everton, they may be forced to miss out after failing to qualify for European football this season.
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