Everton will face competition from Crystal Palace for Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan in the summer, according to Fotospor.
The 24-year old midfielder is set to leave Fenerbahce at the end of the season, according to the report, with a number of European clubs said to be interested.
Fotospor claim that Everton are one such club to hold an interest in the Yellow Canaries’ star, while Fanatik made a similar claim last week.
Tufan’s agent, Utku Cenikli, told Turkish Football last week that his client “does have a €20million release clause”, amid growing interest in the Turkey international.
While the Toffees may need to fend off interest from the Eagles, they could have a ready made replacement for either Morgan Schneiderlin or Fabian Delph in Tufan.
So, should the Blues pursue a deal for the midfielder?
Turkish Football claim that Tufan is a player “well suited to the Premier League”, describing him as “a hard-working box-to-box midfielder”.
Tufan has assisted five goals and scored two in 22 appearances for the Super Lig side this season, starring in a central midfield role while also deputising at right-back on occasion.
Meanwhile, both Schneiderlin and Delph have found themselves on the receiving end of criticism this season after some inconsistent performances.
That said, I think that if Everton wanted to replace either of the duo this summer, they probably could do better than targeting someone who has played exclusively in Turkey.
Everton saw first hand with Cenk Tosun how form in Turkey doesn’t always translate to the Premier League, and given that Tosun was signed as recently as 2018, the club might be a bit wary about taking another €20million gamble from the Super Lig.
Tufan could very well be the midfielder that Everton need, and he could be the perfect replacement for either Schneiderlin or Delph this summer, but he could also be a gamble that the club might regret taking.
