Everton have been joined by Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham in the race to sign Sunderland defender Lamine Kone, according to reports.
The Toffees were eager to sign the former Lorient standout in the summer, testing the Black Cats’ resolve with a £16m offer which Sunderland considered but ultimately turned down.
Sunderland then penned Kone down to a new long-term contract once the window closed and slapped a £20m price-tag on his head, but that will not deter sides when the January transfer window opens.
It’s believed that Everton will again go in with an offer for the Ivorian defender, but the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham will all consider moves for the player who only joined Sunderland back in January for £5m.
Sunderland have gotten off to the worst start to a Premier League season in history with just two points from their opening 10 games. With their situation looking this bleak this early, some of their high-profile players could look for a January exit route.
Having signed Ashley Williams from Swansea in the summer, Everton might not make as strong of a push for Kone as they did in the summer but only time will tell.
