AS Monaco have opened talks to sign Patson Daka.
L’Equipe have reported that the French club have begun negotiations with Leicester City and are eager to snap up the striker before transfer deadline day.
Daka joined the Foxes in a £23 million deal in 2021, but failed to live up to expectations as he netted nine goals across two seasons in the Premier League.
However, the ‘exceptional’ Zambian looks very likely to leave the King Power Stadium following their relegation and Everton could now face stiff competition for his signature.
The Toffees had been linked with a move for Daka earlier this month and the news of Monaco’s interest comes shortly after Alan Nixon claimed that Sean Dyche had hoped to bring the forward in before this weekend.
However, a deal for Daka is taking longer than ‘hoped and expected’ for Everton and he is now unlikely to arrive at Goodison Park before they face Aston Villa on Sunday.
While the Merseyside outfit are still looking to land Daka this summer, the report claims that the 24-year-old is ‘enthusiastic’ about the prospect of moving to Monaco.
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Daka is yet to play for Leicester City this season and manager Enzo Maresca has revealed it is partly to do with the speculation surrounding his future.
Monaco have the upper-hand in their pursuit of Patson Daka
Everton’s pursuit of Patson Daka isn’t looking very promising as the club have been left frustrated by how long it is taking to wrap up.
AS Monaco’s interest could now knock the Toffees down a peg, with a move to France potentially a lot more intriguing for the former RB Salzburg striker.
With Monaco previously seeing a £34 million bid rejected for Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun, they clearly have the money to spend and it may be hard to compete for Everton.
It is unclear how much Leicester would demand, but the attacker’s goal tally in the top flight doesn’t really correlate with a hefty price tag.