Everton show ‘genuine interest’ in Troyes forward Mama Balde

Everton have shown “genuine interest” in signing Troyes forward Mama Balde this summer, according to Paul Brown.

Speaking to GiveMeSport on 21 August, the former Daily Star journalist said the Toffees are eyeing a move for the Guinea-Bissau international in case a deal for Che Adams falls through

But he suggested the Blues may not be leading the race as other clubs are interested in the 27-year-old, who his Troyes teammate Tristan Dingome described as a “really strong” forward.

“It looks like there’s genuine interest there,” said Brown. “It feels a little bit like he’s a backup option in case something goes wrong with a move for someone else.

“For instance, if Che Adams doesn’t come off, it feels like he might be on the list. Also, there are other clubs looking at this guy too, though. So, it may be that Everton are not really in the lead for him. We will see.”

Good option

If Everton can land a deal to bring Balde to Goodison Park this summer, then that potentially wouldn’t be the worst piece of business.

The Toffees are currently operating under financial constraints and Sean Dyche is being forced to improve his squad while working under a tight budget with little money to spend on transfers.

That means the Blues manager has to search around for some bargain deals, with talkSPORT reporting on 20 August that the forward is valued at about £7million.

After he scored 12 goals and laid on four assists in 34 appearances for a relegated side in Ligue 1 last season, he could prove to be a bargain.

Dyche is desperate to add to his forward options after his side have failed to score in their opening two games and Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered a nasty head injury in the defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday (20 August).