Everton are reportedly closing in on the signing of PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands right-back Denzel Dumfries, with competitors Inter Milan dropping out.
According to a report from Italian outlet Sport Mediaset, as relayed by Sport Witness, Premier League outfit Everton are inching ever so closer to the signing of PSV Eindhoven captain Denzel Dumfries this summer.
Dumfries burst onto the scenes at Sparta Rotterdam, where he spent three years between 2014 and 2017 before signing for SC Heerenveen. Just a year later, the 25-year-old right-back was picked up by PSV Eindhoven, and he hasn’t looked back since. From being a regular to growing into the club captain, the Dutchman has been a revelation at the Philips Stadion, bagging 16 goals and 20 assists in 124 games.
Now a regular fixture in the Netherlands national team as well, Dumfries has 23 caps for the Oranje and was one of their most impressive players in the recently-concluded UEFA Euro 2020. His exploits for club and country have put him on the radars of top clubs across Europe, with Real Madrid having taken an interest, along with Everton and Inter Milan.
Everton’s interest in Dumfries makes complete sense as captain Seamus Coleman has battled with injuries, and at 32, is past his prime. While the likes of Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey were used at right-back last season, they do not offer much in the way of attacking sense, something that newly-appointed manager Rafael Benitez craves from his full-backs/wing-backs.
Everton were facing competition from Inter Milan for the signing of the Dutchman, with the Serie A champions looking at him as a replacement for Achraf Hakimi, who left the club for PSG earlier this summer. However, as per the aforementioned report, it is the Toffees that are leading the race for the signing of Dumfries.
Indeed, it is claimed that Everton are ‘talking intensely’ to close the deal for the 25-year-old, so much so that Inter Milan have decided to call off their pursuit of the PSV Eindhoven captain, instead turning their focus towards Arsenal’s wantaway Spanish defender Hector Bellerin. The report further adds that the Toffees are capable of meeting the Dutch outfit’s demands, something that the Nerazzurri weren’t.
So, as things stand, Everton may be closing in on their first major signing of the summer in the form of Denzel Dumfries. More incomings will be on the cards, though, as Benitez looks to get the Merseysiders challenging for a top-six finish from next season.
