A late attempt by Everton to sign Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli collapsed on the final day of the summer transfer window after the Spanish club rejected an offer worth up to €43m (£36.3m).
The proposal consisted of €35m in fixed payments, with the remainder made up of potential add-ons, according to a report published by Mundo Deportivo on Wednesday.
Real Betis decided not to accept the bid for the Morocco international, whose contract includes a €60m release clause. Barcelona are also entitled to about 20% of any future transfer fee for the player.
Ezzalzouli, who produced a number of impressive performances for Real Betis last season, has become an important attacking option for the club. However, he missed the most recent World Cup because of a serious injury.
Everton’s approach came after a difficult final day of the transfer window, during which the club failed to complete several attempts to strengthen their attack.
The Premier League side had been trying to sign Folarin Balogun from Monaco and, according to the report, the striker had already passed his medical. Despite that progress, the deal ultimately did not go through. Everton had already sold Beto and Iliman Ndiaye in an effort to help finance the move.
The club also pursued Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United and Tammy Abraham of Aston Villa, but neither deal was completed.
With those options unavailable, Everton turned their attention to Ezzalzouli in what was described as a last-ditch effort to add a forward before the deadline. Real Betis, however, stood by their valuation and rejected the offer.
The failed negotiations brought an end to a frustrating day for Everton, who were unable to secure any of their main attacking targets despite working on several possible deals.
Ezzalzouli remains at Real Betis, with the €60m release clause in his contract still setting the clearest indication of the club’s valuation. Barcelona’s sell-on percentage could also have been a factor in the Spanish side’s decision to reject Everton’s offer, as part of any eventual transfer fee would be owed to the Catalan club.
The developments were reported after the summer transfer window closed on Tuesday, with the details of Everton’s late bid emerging the following day.
Readers can discuss the story and other football news in greater depth on the Kooora forums.
