Frank Lampard is ‘hugely keen’ on signing a Manchester United regular in 2023 and wants Everton to beat Leicester City to his services, according to a report.
Everton were in action on Tuesday night as they came up against fellow Premier League side Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup third round. Both teams made plenty of changes as the respective managers opted to rest their main players for this weekend’s fixture between the same clubs.
This saw Lampard go with a starting eleven including Asmir Begovic, Tom Davies, Yerry Mina and Ruben Vinagre. And the changes affected Everton as they were beaten 4-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
Jamal Lowe, Junior Stanislas, Emiliano Marcondes and Jaidon Anthony all scored for the Cherries. Demarai Gray found the net for Everton in the 67th minute but they were already 2-0 down at that point and his goal couldn’t kickstart a comeback.
After the defeat, Lampard said he was disappointed and frustrated that the players who came in struggled. And he is almost certain to bring the the first-team regulars back into the side when Everton travel to Bournemouth again on Saturday.
A few hours before the cup clash, Football Transfers carried a report claiming Manchester United could end up losing a 2014 signing to either Everton or Leicester.
The man in question is left-back Luke Shaw, who cost Man Utd £27million when joining from Southampton in summer 2014.
Football Transfers state Shaw held talks with both Everton and Leicester about a move away from Old Trafford in the summer.
Everton remain in talks over Man Utd raid
And the discussions with Everton have continued into the new season as Lampard looks to beat Leicester to the move. The Everton boss is apparently ‘hugely keen’ on adding Shaw to his squad.
A big reason why Everton and Leicester have set their sights on the defender is that Man Utd have let his contract run down. As things stand, Shaw will become a free agent at the end of the season, when his contract expires.
Man Utd do have the option to extend it by 12 months, as they do with several other senior players. But they are yet to trigger this option or reward him with fresh terms. And this has given Everton and Leicester hope of completing an eye-catching transfer.
The report claims Shaw is gunning for a new deal at Man Utd. This suggests all of his focus is on impressing manager Erik ten Hag so he can extend his spell in Manchester.
Luke Shaw faces Tyrell Malacia threat
But Ten Hag brought in Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord in the summer and he represents direct competition for Shaw. If Malacia emerges as the first-choice left-back, then Everton and Leicester could get a shot at the England international.
The report doesn’t mention how much Shaw might cost when leaving Man Utd. Ideally, they would want to receive more than the £27m they spent on him over eight years ago. However, his expiring contract may ruin this plan.
This transfer rumour is certainly one to keep an eye on as we head towards the January transfer window. Shaw would be a great signing for Everton given his international and Champions League experience. It’s easy to see why Lampard is keen on him.
The 27-year-old would be an upgrade on Lampard’s current left-back options, which are Vitaliy Mykolenko and Vinagre. The only trouble about the prospective signing will be convincing Man Utd to let Shaw go.