According to a report from Le 10 Sport, Everton and West Ham are eyeing up a summer move for Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi. The 29-year-old has gone from strength to strength since making the move to the La Liga outfit back in 2015 after time in England with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City, although it seems that he could be set to embark on a new adventure ahead of the 2018/19 season. 

But with both Everton and indeed West Ham reportedly keen on the £27 million-rated star (as per Transfermarkt), he should forget about East London and instead opt for Marco Silva’s Toffees.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, it would appear that Everton are in a stronger position to challenge for the European places in the Premier League this season after finishing eighth last time round, a season in which many felt they underachieved after spending in excess of £100 million 12 months ago.

Yes, things are also looking up at West Ham under new manager Manuel Pellegrini, but with the financial power clearly there at Goodison Park to start making in-roads on the top six, alongside the excitement of a new stadium in the not-too-distant future, Merseyside appears to be the ideal destination for the 29-year-old.

Significantly, his arrival would also go some way to plugging an obvious gap in Everton’s midfield ranks as, other than the consistent Idrissa Gueye, no-one really shone in the middle of the park last season.

Morgan Schneiderlin, apart from the final few games of the season, seriously struggled for form while Wayne Rooney has left for DC United, although he was far from comfortable in the deeper role anyway – add in the uncertainty surrounding the futures of James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic, and it remains to be seen how Silva lines up in the centre of midfield.

Yet N’Zonzi’s arrival would finally give him the sort of midfield player Everton need to take the next step towards the next level, as the 29-year-old has excelled on the European stage in recent times, and would return to England having already experienced, and indeed succeeded, at Premier League level.

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The France international, part of Didier Deschamps’ hugely talented squad for this summer’s World Cup, was named in the Europa League team of the season back in 2015/16 in helping Sevilla win the competition, while his tally of 44 appearances last term underlines how influential he was to the Spanish side in their run to seventh place in La Liga.

And while West Ham is becoming an increasingly desirable destination, things appear to be further along the line at Everton in terms of returning to European competition and challenging for domestic trophies, which is why the midfielder should forget about the Hammers and instead opt for the Toffees.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!