Everton missed out on the signing of Real Madrid’s Denis Cheryshev, according to the Daily Star.
The Toffees tried to engineer a loan move for the Russian as they looked to bolster their attack for the new season, but the approach was rebuffed by the Spanish giants who want Cheryshev to ply his trade at the Bernabeu.
Roberto Martinez was in the market for a central playmaker all summer long but the interest in a left winger would suggest the Catalonian is looking to replace the ageing, injury-prone Steven Pienaar.
Everton signed a trio of attackers during the summer as Aaron Lennon, Gerard Deulofeu and Leandro Rodriguez were brought in to bolster Everton’s forward-line.
But a no.10 remained elusive for Everton boss Martinez, who saw moves for Andriy Yarmolenko and Bernard fall through.
The Blues have been linked with Cheryshev on numerous occasions over the years, but Rafael Benitez wants to see what the 24-year-old can provide for Los Blancos.
Cheryshev has had loan spells with Sevilla and Villarreal in previous seasons, and has been capped seven times by Russia.
He also has a buy-out clause of around £147million, which shows how highly he is regarded in the Spanish capital.
Everton are reportedly still searching for an attacking midfielder, with free agent Yoann Gourcuff rumoured to be catching the eye of the Toffeemen.
