Everton have suffered a potential blow in their bid to sign Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri in January.
The January was never going to be massively busy for Everton however loans were the type of move that the Toffees were said to be looking at potentially.
Loans would be the order of the day with financial situations at the club still precariously balanced ahead of the Premier League’s decision next Monday on whether Everton will be punished again.
One area Sean Dyche wants to strengthen quite clearly seems to be midfield with injuries in that area being prevalent this campaign.
Along with injuries, the potential sale of Amadou Onana is now heating up with three interested parties and so a midfielder is wanted to limit the impact of these issues.
Hannibal Mejbri is the name being tipped for a move and he’s also been lauded as the ideal player for Dyche.
Hannibal Mejbri prefers move to Sevilla over Everton
According to a report from HITC Football and Graeme Bailey, Everton’s move for Hannibal could ultimately end up unsuccessful.
The Manchester United 20-year-old midfielder is looking for a loan until June which would see him a regular fixture playing a serious amount of game time.
With Sevilla and Everton both interested, the report adds that Hannibal himself is favouring a move to the Spanish side. This could be for various reasons and doesn’t just mean that Everton have been rejected.
United and Hannibal could see the prospect of competing with the excellent Abdoulaye Doucoure for minutes as a daunting one considering he needs guaranteed minutes.
There’s no certainty he gets that anywhere but at Sevilla, it’s more likely than at Everton. Although, no decision has been made yet and it’s thought we should find out this week.
Everton is also believed to be insisting on Hannibal’s loan including an option to buy, while United would want a buy-back clause, which could also be delaying the move.
Everton should make a push for Hannibal
Everton should absolutely make a push to bring Hannibal to the club, even just temporarily. The Tunisian has been lauded as ‘perfect‘ by Erik ten Hag and he would be a superb fit into Dyche’s plans.
A tenacious and hard battler in midfield who also possesses technical ability and moments of magic, he has it all and regular Premier League minutes could bring out the best in him.
With options within Everton’s budget limited this season, Hannibal could be one which the Toffees cannot afford to miss out on.
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