According to Tuttosport, (h/t Liverpool Echo), Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is interested in Juventus defender Daniele Rugani.
Everton had, back in 2016, offered a £25.5million bid for the Italian defender, only to be rejected by the Serie A giants. Now with Ancelotti’s Everton struggling in the league this season, the Toffees are once again back in the hunt for the 25-year-old, who has fallen down the pecking order at Juventus.
He has made just three league appearances this season after being restricted mostly to the sidelines due to the emergence of youngster Merih Demiral in the heart of Juventus’ defence.
Moreover, the arrival of Dutch star defender Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax earlier this summer had put him out of contention for a starting role in Maurizio Sarri’s side.
However, Rugani is still young and still has plenty of football left in him. Rugani, who grew through the academy ranks at Empoli, played a major role in helping the side gain promotion back to Serie A in the 2014-15 season when he was just 20 years old.
He once again excelled for them in their first season back in the top-flight, appearing in all their 38 league matches and scoring thrice, thus, earning himself a move to rivals Juventus in the following summer.
However, the presence of star defenders such as Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli always limited him to the benches. Despite that, the Italian managed to break into the first-team, putting up a decent display whenever he was offered the chance.
So far, he has featured over 94 times for the Italian giants, giving a clear idea of his ample experience playing at the highest level. Considering all this, he would be a perfect fit in an Everton backline that seems to lack confidence at the moment.
Inconsistency at the back from seasoned campaigners Michael Keane and Yerry Mina has seen the side concede as many as 46 goals in their 29 league games, with the side slipping to a lowly 12th position this season. Only young centre-back Mason Holgate has impressed this term, however, he still lacks enough game time. Thus, Ancelotti’s interest in Rugani makes complete sense.
Ancelotti’s Everton just have three defenders in their mix and they clearly need an established midfielder in their mix, with the side struggling at the back. Rugani, who has honed his skills with the likes of top defenders such as Chiellini and Bonucci over the past couple of years is thus a perfect fit at Everton.
Moreover, he is still young and can revive his career under a top coach such as Ancelotti if both sides manage to pen down a deal.
