According to Goal, Everton are set to step up their bid to sign Manchester United centre-back Marcos Rojo having been priced out of a move for Barcelona’s Yerry Mina, and Celtic must move for Phil Jagielka once a big-money deal gets done.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Goal report that the Toffees were hoping to buy Mina for £27m, but with Barca demanding at least £35m the Merseyside outfit are considering alternative targets including Rojo, who would cost £30m according to a report in The Daily Mail.
With time running out in the summer transfer window Marco Silva needs to get a deal done for a left-sided centre-back, although Goal report the interest in the Argentina international could simply be to try and convince the La Liga champions to accept a lower offer.
Should Rojo arrive at Goodison Park, he would be competing with the likes of Michael Keane, Mason Holgate and Phil Jagielka for a spot at the heart of the defence.
Why should Celtic sign Jagielka?
Well, despite keeping a clean sheet against Rosenborg on Wednesday night to move through to the next qualifying stage of the Champions League, it is clear to many Bhoys fans that the club needs to strengthen at centre-back if they are to push on in Europe and ensure they win the Scottish Premiership title for an eighth successive year.
Jagielka may be 35 years of age, but he would arrive in Glasgow with a wealth of experience for Everton in the Premier League and England on the international stage, and he is also a born leader – something Brendan Rodgers, who must sign an unhappy 19-year-old attacker once likened to Lionel Messi, and his men have sometimes lacked in their backline.
The fact that he is likely to be fourth-choice should one new centre-back arrive could mean that he looks to leave in search of regular minutes at this stage of his career, and with just a year remaining on his contract he should be available for a bargain cut-price fee – he is rated at just £1.35m by Transfermarkt.
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