Everton in for Martins and de Ligt

Everton are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon’s Gelson Martins and Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt, according to The Telegraph.

Martins is one of seven players currently demanding their contracts with Sporting to be cancelled due to “just cause”, after a group of around 50 radical fans broke into the club’s training ground and attacked the players and staff amid a public rift between club president Bruno de Carvalho and the players.

The 23-year-old Martins is at the World Cup in Russia at the moment and his future isn’t likely to be sorted before the tournament in Russia ends, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich also named among his potential suitors.

Apart from the forward line, Everton are keen on adding to their defensive ranks, and Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, although like Martins a player in demand across Europe, would suit their intentions very well. The 18-year-old has been linked with Arsenal, Barcelona and several other clubs, but Everton would probably be able to give him more game-time which would suit his development needs better.