Everton have pulled the plug on their pursuit this month of Charlton Athletic defender Ezri Konsa, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim in their live transfer blog (Wednesday, 3.14pm) that the Merseysider are unwilling to meet the £5million asking price for the centre-back demanded by the League One club.
The Mail report that Everton and Liverpool have both been keeping close tabs on Konsa, 20, but have now decided against making a January move for the player as a result of the Addicks’ valuation.
The Daily Mirror reported earlier this week that Charlton had given the green light for the youngster to leave the Valley, with Everton in the driving seat to seal the deal.
Konsa has made 30 appearances across all competitions this season, with 24 of those coming in the league, and also has four England under-20 caps to his name.
OPINION
Everton have not been afraid to spend big on rising stars in recent years, with Charlton the beneficiaries 12 months ago of this largesse with the transfer of Ademola Lookman in a deal rising to £11million. But even the cash-rich Merseysiders have a limit, and they appear unwilling to pay over the odds for young defender Konsa, despite his impressive achievements this season. Charlton will need to back down and slap a more realistic price tag on the youngster to get a deal done.