Everton have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of former Ajax defender Jairo Riedewald, with Crystal Palace emerging victorious in the race to sign the £7.8million-worth 20-year-old.
According to Squawka, the Toffees approached Ajax with a late bid for Riedewald’s signature, but the Dutch youngster opted for a reunion with the Eagles’ manager Frank De Boer instead.
Everton have made quality signings this summer, but would have loved to add a young promising and versatile defender like Riedewald to their backline ahead of a fixture-packed campaign.
The Goodison Park outfit currently have summer arrival Michael Keane, Funes Mori, Ashley Williams, Matthew Pennington and Phil Jagielka as their current crops of centre-backs.
However, manager Ronald Koeman likely wants more quality replacements in the position so as to rotate well and have a handful of options during 2017-18.
With Riedewald now off the transfer market, the club has no choice but continue in their hunt for a solid defensive option.
