Speaking on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Everton came very close to signing Manchester United right-back, Diogo Dalot, in the summer transfer window.
Since joining United from FC Porto in what was a £19.8 million deal back in 2018, Dalot has gone on to feature 35 times for the club, chipping in with one goal and providing three assists along the way.
However, last season, the £10.8 million-rated 21-year-old featured just four times in the Premier League for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, with another four appearances coming in the FA Cup, and a further three in the Europa League, totalling 11 appearances in all competitions.
As a result of his lack of first-team game time, United appeared happy for the Portugal U21 international to leave the club over the summer transfer window, with Dalot eventually moving to Serie A side, AC Milan, on a one-year loan deal.
However, on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, Romano claimed that Everton came close to signing the right-back this summer.
He said: “Before joining AC Milan he was really close to joining Everton. It was [around] July [or] August, Everton asked for Diogo Dalot many times because Carlo Ancelotti is in love with Diogo Dalot, he is convinced he was perfect for Everton, but Manchester United said, ‘okay, let’s loan him out on a simple loan, but not to Everton,’ because they consider Everton as a competitor for this season. They don’t want to give a player on loan to a team who is going to compete with Manchester United for [a] Champions League place this year.”
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TIF Thoughts on Fabrizio Romano transfer news on Everton…
From Romano’s comments, it is clear that the journalist is of the belief that Everton were indeed interested in signing Dalot this summer, with Romano going as far to say that Ancelotti is “in love” with the defender, however, that United decided against letting the player join the Toffees as they consider them to be a rival for a Champions League spot this season.
So, while it may be disappointing from the point of view of an Everton fan that their club did not manage to sign Dalot, if the club do indeed challenge United for a Champions League place this season, as Romano believes United feel they will, this will certainly represent a marked improvement from their 12th-placed finish last term.