Aston Villa, Everton, and West Ham United have joined Newcastle United in the race to sign Raul de Tomas from Espanyol this summer.
According to Fichajes, Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas has become a man in demand in the Premier League, with as many as four clubs vying to sign him this summer.
De Tomas joined Espanyol in January 2020 after spending just six months at Portuguese club Benfica. The former Real Madrid striker helped the Catalan club achieve promotion back to La Liga and enjoyed a fine season on his return to the Spanish top flight last season. The 27-year-old scored 17 goals in 34 league outings, with only Karim Benzema and Iago Aspas netting more than him.
De Tomas’ form has led to interest from bigger clubs, with a return to Real Madrid being mooted, although those speculations have died down. However, the 27-year-old is now attracting serious interest from the Premier League as Newcastle United are keen on signing him and have been joined by Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham United in the race.
Newcastle United are in the market for a new striker and are exploring several options after their attempts to sign Hugo Ekitike came to nothing. Alexander Isak was on their radars, but the Magpies have abandoned their pursuit of the Real Sociedad ace due to his €90 million valuation. De Tomas, thus, has emerged as a target for Eddie Howe as he looks to add more support to Callum Wilson and Chris Wood.
Aston Villa are also in the market for a new centre-forward after Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins endured average seasons last time out. Furthermore, there have been some speculations over the future of Ings, which could prompt Steven Gerrard to dip his toes into the market for a new striker, making de Tomas a viable target.
Everton have Dominic Calvert-Lewin as their primary No. 9 but have no quality backup for the Englishman. Richarlison’s departure is also a major blow for the Toffees, leaving them scouring the market for a new forward. While Chelsea’s Armando Broja has emerged as their top target, a move looks unlikely, forcing them to keep their options which is where de Tomas enters the picture.
West Ham United have also been mentioned as a suitor for de Tomas, with the Hammers having tried to sign him in the past. However, David Moyes’ side are closing in on the capture of Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo. So, it is unlikely that West Ham will pursue the Espanyol centre-forward with much fervour as they have Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen as options.
As per the report, De Tomas will be available for a transfer fee of around €35 million. Whether any of the aforementioned suitors make a swoop for him in the coming days will be interesting to see.
