Everton have expressed an interest in bringing Villarreal striker Boulaye Dia to the Premier League, according to reports.
What's the latest on Dia to Everton?
The Senegal international is currently out on a season-long loan at Salernitana who do have the option to buy him for €12m (£10m), but being Paulo Sousa’s best-performing offensive player, has caught the eye of the board on Merseyside, but not for the first time. The Goodison Park outfit reportedly reached out to the 26-year-old’s representatives regarding a deal in January but were dealt a blow after learning that he was keen to remain in the Serie A at the time.
Italian outlet Tutto Salernitana have since claimed that the Toffees are still admirers of the forward and are currently in pole position to secure his services should he become available during the upcoming window with Sean Dyche making sure his club don’t give up the chase after their setback at the start of the New Year.
According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Everton, alongside their top-flight rivals West Ham, are both “keen” on Dia and have “often expressed interest” in signing him. The Blues and the Irons’ “requests” are “not lacking” and whilst he’s valued at “at least” €20m (£17m), that would be nothing for his two potential suitors who are desperate for a new striker up top. Should Salernitana permanently purchase the attacker, it’s stated that they previously held an interest in Neal Maupay which has raised the possibility that a swap deal could be on the cards.
Would Dia be an upgrade on Maupay?
Maupay joined Everton from Brighton back in August 2022 but has failed to make a significant impact on the first-team having found the net just once in 22 appearances so Dia would most definitely be a huge upgrade and perfect replacement.
The Nike-sponsored star has scored ten goals and provided four assists in 24 Salernitana outings where he’s averaging 1.4 shots per league game, highlighting how much more prolific he is in the final third. Outside of his natural centre-forward role, the 5 foot 11 gem is also capable of playing out wide on both wings and even as an attacking midfielder so would add great versatility to the squad.
Dubbed “magic” by journalist Usher Komugisha, Dia was a key member and breakout star of Senegal’s World Cup squad that made it all the way to the last 16 of the tournament so it’s no surprise that he’s attracting interest because he’d be ideal for the Toffees.
