OPINION
Everton should already have one eye towards next season and be considering a move for in-demand Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure.
The Daily Mail report that Tottenham are lining up a move for the 25-year-old in the summer, but could face competition from Arsenal and Liverpool for the Premier League ace.
It is understood that Watford want to tie the Frenchman to a new deal worth more than £60,000-a-week and that they would want in excess of £20million for his sale.
Everton should jump straight to the front of the queue for the goalscoring midfielder that has been lighting up the Premier League this campaign.
The Merseyside club look set for a mid-table season without too much left to play for and need to be ready to massively improve next year.
Doucoure could be exactly the type of player that could bolster the Toffees squad and bring some much needed quality to the middle of the park.
The prospect of the Watford ace alongside Idrissa Gueye in the centre is one that would prove irresistible.
Doucoure is just entering the peak years of his career and has been a standout player at Vicarage Road this season.
The central midfielder likes to the dirty work with his combative tackling and defensive work in front of the back four.
He has also proven he can be a serious goal threat from midfielder, scoring seven goals and supplying three assists in the Premier League already this campaign.
Doucoure seems good enough to make the next step up in his career from Watford and could be a great replacement for Morgan Schneiderlin in Sam Allardyce’s starting XI.