Everton emerge as takers for €15m Frenchman to replace departing star amid Crystal Palace, Fulham battle

Samuel Bannister 23 Jun 2023 2:20 PM

Everton are one of three Premier League clubs to have been named as admirers of Romain Faivre after the midfielder’s loan spell at Lorient from Lyon.

Faivre joined Lorient on a temporary basis in January, allowing him to get his career back on track after struggling to prove himself for Lyon. Now, his parent club could take advantage by cashing in on him while his stock is high again.

According to Foot Mercato, Lorient would be keen to buy Faivre on a permanent transfer. However, competition coming from the Premier League is making things complicated for them.

The report names Everton as one of the clubs who would be keen on bidding for the Frenchman. Sean Dyche is desperate for midfield reinforcements after Tom Davies rejected the chance to stay at the club.

Davies supposedly has a number of offers on the table already and has been tipped to stay in the Premier League or move to the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.

Elsewhere in what remains of Everton’s midfield, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gana Gueye are due to become free agents this time next year, too. Therefore, Everton need to reinvest in their engine room.

With that in mind, they have turned their attention to Faivre. Per Foot Mercato, Lyon are asking for a transfer fee of at least €15m (£12.8m) for him.

The Ligue 1 outfit will sell to the highest bidders, rather than giving any kind of preferential treatment to Lorient after his loan stint.

If Everton can find the funds for the deal, then, they have as good a chance of signing Faivre as anyone. But there are two other interested parties from within the Premier League.

Fulham, Crystal Palace keen on Faivre

Indeed, Foot Mercato claims Crystal Palace and Fulham are competing to take the Tours academy graduate to London instead.

The same source has also listed Bournemouth as suitors for Faivre in recent weeks, but the Cherries are not included in the latest update.

Fulham and Palace both finished above Everton in the Premier League this season. The Eagles are about to lose Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur on free transfers.

TEAMtalk recently revealed in an exclusive that Sheffield United and Luton Town are looking at McArthur after promotion to the Premier League.

As for Fulham, ex-Everton boss Marco Silva might be bracing himself for bids for Joao Palhinha this summer. There has been some recent speculation about the Cottagers targeting Fred from Man Utd, too.

Faivre seems to be under consideration as well. In the first half of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season with Lyon, he only started three matches, before getting 14 league starts under his belt in the second half with Lorient.

He rewarded his temporary club with five league goals, whereas he had failed to score for Lyon in the six months prior to his exit.

Now, he will be eager to find some continuity in his career. The Premier League might be his next step, but it will take some time to decipher exactly how.