Everton are contemplating an ambitious move to sign Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman.
Armed with a transfer budget believed to be in excess of £100 million, new Blues manager Ronald Koeman has identified midfield as an area of weakness, with tough-tackling Dutch international Strootman a reported summer target.
Strootman, a powerful central midfielder renowned for dominating games, is widely accepted to be one of Europe’s best in his position but has been plagued by injury since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury back in 2014.
Since then, the 26-year-old has made just 12 appearances for the Serie A side in two seasons, calling into question his ability to ever regain peak fitness.
But a number of sources, including the Liverpool Echo, indicate that Strootman features prominently on Koeman’s list of midfield targets.
However, Roma recently lost star man Miralem Pjanic to rivals Juventus and would be loath to lose another key player during the summer window.
With this in mind, a bid in the region of £30 million would be necessary to convince the Giallorossi to sell.
Zenit Saint Petersburg enforcer Axel Witsel has also been linked with a move to Goodison Park in recent days.