Everton have reportedly fallen short with a £14m approach for defensive midfielder Andreas Samaris, being told by Benfica to instead pay up their £17.5m valuation in full.
The Greece international, who featured 30 times for the Eagles last season, is also said to be on the radar of Newcastle United.
Portuguese outlet A Bola reports that the big-spending Toffees have had an opening offer for the 28-year-old rejected, but they could return with a second bid in the coming days.
Samaris, capped 28 times at international level, is seen as being an ideal player to add some defensive steel in midfield for the Goodison Park club.
Everton have already spent more than £90m this summer to bring in Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Davy Klaassen, Henry Onyekuru and Sandro Ramirez, making them the most active Premier League team in the market so far.
Written by
Daniel Lewis
Daniel Lewis
