Italian giants Juventus are considering a January swoop for Everton’s out of favour defensive star Lucas Digne.
According to Calciomercato, Juventus are in the market for a new full-back in the upcoming January transfer window. The Italian giants have identified two potential options, including Everton star Lucas Digne.
The Bianconeri are aware of the defender’s precarious situation at Everton after a recent fallout with Rafa Benitez. His disagreements with the Spaniard have already led to the left-back being excluded from the matchday squad in the last two matches against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Juventus’ interest in Digne stems from the club’s lack of depth in the full-back department. Their star player Alex Sandro has endured a massive dip in form over the past 18 months, while other options like Mattia de Sciglio and Luca Pellegrini simply haven’t offered enough consistency to the table. It has accentuated the need for a new signing – someone that can offer definite quality.
Lucas Digne fits the bill perfectly for multiple reasons, including his technical prowess and the ability to create chances in the final third. The Frenchman had been one of Everton’s creators-in-chief over the past few years, often racking up a large number of key passes week in week out.
With 127 competitive appearances for Everton, the former PSG starlet also offers a considerable amount of experience at the highest level of football, making him an ideal target for Juventus. To that end, the Serie A giants are believed to have asked about the possibility of signing the former Barcelona defender in the upcoming transfer window.
However, the Bianconeri are set to face competition in pursuit of the full-back, with Chelsea also keen on securing his services in January. While selling a star player to a Premier League opponent does seem unlikely, Everton could make an exception given that they are in dire need of a financial boost.
In addition to Digne, the Toffees are even willing to offload Tottenham Hotspur target Jordan Pickford for just £30 million in January. One can imagine Benitez asking a similar figure for the Frenchman, as the Everton manager looks for an ideal replacement in the market.
In fact, a replacement might come sooner than one would have anticipated, as the Merseyside giants are reportedly closing in on the capture of Dynamo Kyiv star Vitaliy Mykolenko. The Ukrainian international is expected to become the club’s first signing for January and could replace Digne should he departs Goodison Park next month.
