Reliable journalist drops big £35m Everton transfer claim, supporters will be gutted - opinion

Everton offered the required funds to tempt Tottenham Hotspur to sell Steven Bergwijn, but the winger preferred a move to Ajax.

That’s according to Dutch journalist Mike Verweij, who wrote on Twitter that both Everton and Manchester United were willing to pay for his services.

The reported fee was €40.6m, or £35m, and both Premier League clubs had matched it.

It does however appear that the Netherlands international will now move to Ajax; a move which will leave Everton supporters gutted.

In full, he said: “Everton and Manchester United were willing to pay the price for English clubs for Steven Bergwijn. £35m (€40.6m). But the player wanted to go to Ajax.”

Following the big-money sale of Richarlison to Spurs, Evertonians will be frustrated to see a potential replacement go amiss.

Bergwijn has struggled since signing for the north London club, and opportunities have been few and far between. He has come up with some spectacular moments however, such as his debut winner against Manchester City.

He is more of a natural winger, using pace and skill to take on full-backs, and would probably have suited a Frank Lampard side more than Richarlison actually did.

Whilst only managing four goal contributions in the league, he did manage two in two games in the EFL Cup. If given game time, he does have the quality to trouble defences.

He ranks highly in certain offensive stats that mark him out to be a tricky customer to defend against, as he ranks in the 95th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area, the 89th percentile for total shots, and the 98th percentile for non-penalty expected goals.

His performances for his national side have seen him lauded by the likes of Virgil van Dijk, with the Liverpool star labelling him