Everton move for Vecino now looks unlikely
Everton may have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Matias Vecino, with Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte no longer inclined to sell the midfielder, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Toffees have been pursuing the Uruguay international for the past few weeks if the various reports are to be believed, with Tuesday’s print version of La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claiming that Inter and Everton had come to an impasse in their talks over the 28-year old midfielder.
Inter are holding out for €20million, according to the report, but Everton are not willing to match that fee and Inter are not willing to lower it, which has seen talks grind to a halt.
Now Inter are considering ruling out an exit for Vecino this month, so reports Gianluca Di Marzio, with former Chelsea boss Conte believing that the midfielder could make an ‘important contribution’ until the end of the season.
The report also claims that because Inter have yet to receive an offer that they would deem adequate, Conte will include Vecino in his squad to face Fiorentina on Wednesday night, with an exit looking unlikely.
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Everton are, of course, being frugal with their funds this month, but not committing to pay a small amount more than already offered would suggest to me that Ancelotti isn’t overly that set on Vecino being his main man.
Everton have a midfield problem, with Andre Gomes and JP Gbamin not fit to play just yet, but they’re closing in on a return to action and the Merseyside outfit may well have pulled the plug in an attempt to wait until the summer to land a more appropriate target.
Andre Gomes has returned to training today too, via Everton’s Twitter account, and the club could possibly have decided against Vecino due to Gomes’ positive progress. We’re all left speculating at this point, but either way it looks unlikely that Everton will resurrect a bid for Vecino before the window closes on Friday. That being said, in the final hours, who knows what the club might decide to do.