- 17 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: Everton face battle to keep hold of wonderkid as Man City and Aston Villa circle
Jacque Talbot
- 25 Jun 2024 10:15 BST
- 5 min read
Exclusive
Everton are facing a battle to keep hold of Douglas Lukjancik, with Manchester City keen on the 16-year-old.
The goalkeeper, who joined the Toffees' academy as a scholar, is admired by the the Citizens but the youngster has drawn interest from Aston Villa, too.
The England Under-17 goalkeeper holds dual nationality due to his Latvian heritage, opening up opportunities across Europe given rules over international transfers involving minors.
READ MORE: Euro 2024 most assists
Lukjanciks, considered one of England’s most promising keepers, frequently plays above his age group with the national team and Everton Under-18s.
Losing him would be a significant setback for Everton, who see him as a future first-team goalkeeper.
Everton close in on attacker
It comes after our story that Everton are closing in on a deal for Iliman Ndiaye of Marseille while there is interest in Issa Kabore of Manchester City too, FootballTransfers has been told.
Ndiaye has verbally agreed to move to Goodison Park ahead of next season and a deal could reach for a fee of €20 million inclusive of add-ons, with the two clubs now just needing to finalise a move for the Senegal international.
Head coach Sean Dyche has pinpointed the need to bolster the attacking area of the pitch this summer after the side’s poor form in front of goal last season in which they scored the third-lowest amount of Premier League goals, an average of 1.05 per match.
READ MORE: Euro 2024 most assists
With Arnaut Danjuma departing after his spell ended from Villarreal, the club is set to welcome Jack Harrison back on another loan deal from Leeds.
Armando Broja of Chelsea remains of interest but that is likely to be if Dominic Calvert-Lewin is moved on, even though Newcastle has withdrawn from the race to sign the forward.
We are told that Everton refused to meet the Magpies’ valuation of Yankuba Minteh, who is now thought to be nearing a move to Lyon.
