Everton made an approach to sign Anwar El Ghazi before the winger completed a move to Aston Villa, according to Duncan Castles.
The Sunday Times journalist revealed on The Transfer Window podcast that the Toffees made a bid for the former Lille forward who signed for the Villans for £7.1million.
El Ghazi impressed in a loan spell under Dean Smith in the Championship, scoring six and assisting the same amount of goals in his 36 appearances.
The 24-year-old would have offered electrifying pace either out wide or through the middle for Marco Silva, who has Theo Walcott has one of his first choice options at Goodison Park.
OPINION
This could come as a surprise for many involved at Everton. Many fans will have expected their club to have set their eyes on bigger targets in this window, but the signing of El Ghazi would have been a smart move from Marco Silva. The fact that the 24-year-old decided to join Villa after his loan-spell is certainly not a surprise after he made such a good impression under Dean Smith. It is unclear what the offer was for El Ghazi from Everton, but if it was similar to the £7.1million that Villa paid for the winger, then there isn’t much better available that the former Lille man in that price range. Even if he didn’t start for Everton, he would have been a great option off of the bench late in games, with not many quicker than him as he proved in the Championship last season. After missing out on this one, Silva must not let him affect any future business and move quickly to make sure the club doesn’t miss out on another winger, with that position a clear area the Portuguese man wants to improve.