Everton set to battle AS Roma for Neil El Aynaoui, maintain interest in Douglas Luiz | OneFootball

Everton are set to battle sister club AS Roma in the race for RC Lens midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, according to a report in TEAMtalk.

There could be a potential transfer battle between the clubs - both owned by The Friedkin Group - but with different recruitment and management teams. Roma are currently leading the race for the 24-year-old, but there’s a catch.

“Roma’s interest in 24-year-old midfielder El Aynaoui has been widely reported, and we understand that they remain in a good position to sign him. However, Roma are also interested in Palmeiras’ centre-mid Richard Rios, and won’t sign both,” stated the report.

“El Aynaoui has verbally agreed to a contract with Roma until 2030, but Everton and their Premier League rivals Crystal Palace have recently asked for information on the Lens star’s situation.”

Ligue 1 side Lens are also in no hurry to sell the player and would encourage a bidding war instead. The French midfielder, who made 24 appearances in the league last season, has a contract with Lens until 2027 and his club will not accept an offer below £25.9m.

The 24-year-old scored eight goals in 24 Ligue 1 appearances for the French side last season and ranked in the top 10% of Ligue 1 midfielders for interceptions, blocks and aerial duels won per 90.

Meanwhile, the Blues continue to maintain firm interest in Juventus’ Douglas Luiz. Discussions are underway with Juventus over a deal for Luiz, according to transfer journalist Rudy Galetti, as the Blues look to bring the Brazilian back to the Premier League.

Luiz had a successful spell at Aston Villa prior to his move to Turin, in which he has struggled to establish himself. After joining Juventus in a deal worth an initial £44m last summer, Luiz started just three Serie A games. He is keen to secure regular first-team football to boost his chances of making the Brazil squad for next summer’s World Cup.

The TEAMtalk report suggests that £21.6m could be enough to secure his signing, but Everton will also face competition from other Premier League clubs, most notably West Ham.

With Idrissa Gana Gueye, James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam and Carlos Alcaraz the only incumbents, Everton are currently light in the middle of the park. It remains to be seen whether they decide to end up going for either Neil El Aynaoui or Douglas Luiz or both and make a formal offer in the coming days.