Everton are readying a big money move for Sporting Club star William Carvalho, despite the Portuguese club deeming the midfielder ‘untransferable’, reports the Mail on Sunday via Record.
West Ham tracked the Portugal international for much of the summer, but failed to agree a fee for the 25-year-old.
Carvalho has been a key man for Sporting Club this season and after the sale of Adrien Silva to Leicester, the Liga NOS side are not prepared to cash in on the midfielder.
That is unlikely to deter Everton, who are prepared to offer upwards of £31m in order to land Carvalho in January.
Toffees boss Ronald Koeman views the Sporting Club star as the ideal addition to his squad, with Everton now the front runners in the race to secure his services, despite the club’s reluctance to sell Carvalho.
Koeman has identified a new striker as a priority when the transfer window opens, but is looking to strengthen elsewhere, with central midfield a port of call in the New Year.
Koeman is already able to call upon Morgan Schneiderlin, Idrissa Gueye, Tom Davies and James McCarthy in the middle of the park, though the latter has been linked with a Goodison Park exit in January.
