Manchester City have been told to cough up a transfer fee of £40 million if they want to sign English defender Mason Holgate from Everton in the summer.
As per a report from Football Insider, Everton have slapped a £40 million price tag on 23-year-old defender Mason Holgate, who has emerged a summer transfer target for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
A graduate of the Barnsley youth academy, Holgate joined Everton in the summer of 2015 and has gone on to make 74 first-team appearances for the Toffees, scoring one goal and setting up more. Having spent the second half of the last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, the 23-year-old has grown into an important part of the Everton side this term.
So far in the 2019-20 campaign, Holgate has featured in 26 matches across all competitions for the Merseyside giants, impressing with solid displays one after the other. So much so that, the defender finds himself in contention for a spot in England’s squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 coming up in the summer.
This kind of form has put a number of clubs on alert, with Manchester City chief among those. The Cityzens have had serious problems in the centre-back department after having failed to replace former captain and club legend Vincent Kompany in the previous summer.
Manchester City are keeping close tabs on Everton defender Mason Holgate and have already made him a firm target for the next transfer window.
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— Man City Xtra (@City_Xtra) February 27, 2020
John Stones and Aymeric Laporte have battled with injuries for almost the entire season while Nicolas Otamendi hasn’t looked assured enough, forcing Pep Guardiola to use Fernandinho as a makeshift centre-back on a regular basis. Hence, Manchester City have made the signing of a new defender a top priority in the summer, with Holgate firmly on their radar.
Along with Manchester City, the likes of Sheffield United, Newcastle United and Bournemouth are also keeping tabs on the 23-year-old defender. Holgate’s recent form, coupled with the versatility he offers with his abilities to play at right-back as well as a defensive midfielder, has seen his price tag soar up to £40 million which shouldn’t be a problem for the Cityzens.
With his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2022, Everton are believed to be working on a new deal for the Englishman as they have no intention of cashing in on him. Indeed, manager Carlo Ancelotti dismissed the possibility of a sale in his pre-match presser conference ahead of the Toffees’ contest against Manchester United.
However, Everton might find it tough to hold on to Holgate if Manchester City firm up on their interest in the summer window. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the 23-year-old, but for now he will be aiming to finish the season strongly and earn himself a spot in England’s squad for the Euros.
