Rafa Benitez could look to reunite with Leicester City forward Ayoze Perez at Everton this summer, Marcus Bent has told TIF.
Benitez worked alongside Perez as he was the star at St. James’ Park. Time has moved forward, with Perez playing his football with Leicester and Benitez the newly-appointed Everton manager, but that’s not to say the pair couldn’t reunite in the future.
Former Everton and Leicester striker Marcus Bent, while speaking to TIF, has suggested that Rafa could look to bring Perez to Goodison Park this summer:
“If a manager has a player they clicked with and did really well, they are going to be interested.”
“I think he is someone who is probably on his radar. Perez went to Leicester and probably hasn’t done so well there. They won the Premier League when no-one thought they would and now no-one knows whether they are going to win or lose against Leicester because of their playing style and system.”
MORE: Everton boss Rafa Benitez considering big-money raid on former club Newcastle United
“Perez has been out of favour at Leicester. Everton have picked up players who are not playing in the Premier League, in the Championship, and taking them on to be good players. Benitez might feel that he’s still got class and quality to come in ahead of going to the new stadium.”
“Maybe he wouldn’t start in the Everton first 11 but he could be a squad player.”
It’s unclear exactly how much Leicester would demand in exchange for Perez, but with Zambian goal-machine Patson Daka having been acquired from RB Salzburg, he could soon find himself surplus to requirements at the King Power Stadium.
Whether Everton would be keen to sign him also remains to be seen. These comments sound like merely an opinion from Marcus Bent, rather than a revelation of inside information, but it’d certainly make sense if they were to be keen.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the final six weeks or so of the summer transfer window. Now Rafa and Everton have had a chance to establish their transfer plans, you’d expect to see some movement in due course.
Click here for more of the latest Everton news