Everton have joined the chase for Las Palmas defender Mauricio Lemos, who is wanted by Barcelona.
The 20-year-old defender has played a major role in helping Las Palmas finish eleventh in La Liga in their first season back in the Spanish top tier and his performances have not gone unnoticed.
Barcelona have been keeping a close watch on the Uruguayan for months and have just seen a bid for Lemos knocked back by Las Palmas. They have been tipped to return with a fresh offer.
However, the Catalan giants are set to face stiff English opposition for Lemos’ signature as it has been claimed that Everton have entered the chase for the central defender.
Everton are preparing for potentially losing John Stones in the summer as a number of top clubs in England are set to make bids for him and the Toffees have identified Lemos as the England defender’s replacement.
relatedNewsStory
And according to Catalan daily Sport, the club are ready to place an offer of around €10m on Las Palmas’ table to take the Uruguayan defender to Merseyside in the summer.
Lemos joined Las Palmas from Rubin Kazan in January this year on loan and the Spaniards have already agreed to sign him on a permanent contract for a fee of around €2m.
He is yet to make a senior appearance for Uruguay, but has been an integral part of their Under-20s, with 14 caps to his name.
