Everton saw cheeky deadline day bid fail for La Liga defender

Everton saw a cheeky bid to land one of Espanyol’s star defenders fail on transfer deadline day, according to reports in Spain.

According to Diario Gol, representatives from Everton contacted the Barcelona-based club to try and land Mario Hermoso for a cut-price €8million fee on transfer deadline day – despite the fact the player has a €40m exit clause in his contract.

The 22-year-old centre-half only joined the Catalan club this summer from Real Madrid in a €400k deal, but it’s claimed the Toffees hoped they could convince Espanyol into a quick profit on the player.

However, the Spanish publication claims the offer for the player was rejected on the grounds that Espanyol believe his value could double in the coming months.

Hermoso has started 18 La Liga outings for Los Periquitos this campaign, while Madrid having a €15m buyback clause in his contract.

The player is contracted until 2020 with Espanyol.