Everton and Crystal Palace are reportedly both eyeing the services of Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba of Aston Villa before the close of the Premier League transfer window.
The defensive midfielder spent much of the season on the bench but played well when he was given a few opportunities in the final few weeks of the last season.
Nakamba starred in wins against Tottenham and Chelsea in May, helping the Villans to achieve an 11th-place finish which has led to calls by some sections of the club’s fans for his inclusion in the starting lineup on a regular basis.
The English newspaper Daily Mail has revealed that the 27-year-old Nakamba could be on the move this English summer as both Everton and Palace believe they can lure him away with the offer of more game time.
“Everton and Crystal Palace are weighing up moves for Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba before the close of the transfer window,” The Daily Mail revealed.
“New Toffees boss Rafa Benitez and recently installed Palace manager Patrick Vieira are looking to bolster their midfield options this summer and Nakamba is understood to feature highly on their wanted lists. Nakamba enjoyed a strong finish to last season with stand-out performances in the victories over Tottenham and Chelsea. From his 13 Premier League appearances last term Villa won nine,” the report said.
The Warriors star featured for Dean Smith’s side 16 times last season, with three of those appearances coming in the Carabao Cup. From his 13 Premier League appearances last term Villa won nine.
He has to tussle it out with the likes of Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, and Morgan Sanson for a place in the Villa starting eleven.
Nakamba was originally signed by Villa from Club Brugge in August 2019 for a fee of £10.8m. He could become the first player to be signed by Rafa Benitez at Goodison Park for a substantial fee.
The former Liverpool boss has brought in Andros Townsend and Asmir Begovic on free transfers, while Demarai Gray joined on Thursday for £1.6m. Everton were previously interested in Nakamba’s services when he moved from Club Brugge to Aston Villa.
Arsenal legend Viera has also been busy on the transfer market since taking over at Palace and Nakamba could become one of his big-name signings ahead of the start of the season.
