Everton now given late chance to hijack deal as Fulham refuse to pay just £800,000

Everton and Fulham could be heavily involved with each other before we hit the 5pm transfer deadline on Monday.

The Toffees have not only been linked with a move for Harry Wilson – who is currently going to become a free agent in July when his contract expires – but Everton have also been credited with an interest in Ricardo Pepi.

Fulham looked to be advancing with a £30m move for the United States international – but an update from Sky Sports now opens the door for David Moyes to nip in and frustrate Marco Silva.

Fulham refusing to pay just £800,000 more to sign Ricardo Pepi amid Everton links

Sky Sports now state that talks between Fulham and PSV Eindhoven have hit a wall as the Cottagers refuse to pay just £800,000 more to meet the Dutch side’s valuation.

It is said that Pepi himself is happy to remain in the Netherlands until the summer if no agreement can be found with Fulham or any other side.

Sky Sports do not mention what PSV Eindhoven want for the American, although the BBC recently reported that they are chasing £30m in order to sell the 23-year-old.

Pepi – who Tim Howards admires – has netted 11 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions for the Eredivisie outfit so far this season, while also grabbing two assists.

Everton should steer clear of Ricardo Pepi

From our point of view, we have no idea why Everton were ever – allegedly – looking at Pepi in the first place.

That is not to say the PSV Eindhoven No.9 is a bad player, but Everton only recently invested heavily in another 23-year-old forward when spending £27m on Thierno Barry back in July.

Crucially, Moyes also only fields one striker in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, so it would make little sense to spend £30m on Pepi just as Barry starts to shine, with four goals in his last five Premier League games.

A cheaper, experienced option who can help develop the Frenchman and also step in when he needs a rest would be far more sensible for The Friedkin Group to pursue, so hopefully, the Toffees do not decide to hijack Fulham’s talks for Pepi.