Everton face Arsenal competition for Italy international

Defender Armando Izzo had an excellent season for Torino and is attracting plenty of interest this summer. Despite having just joined the club from Genoa last summer for €9.7 million, now it’s looking like he could be on the move again netting the Turin side what could be at least thrice what they paid for him.

Italian media sources Gianluca Di Marzio and CalcioMercato can be hit or miss, but it appears both are reporting that Arsenal and Everton are either standing by or have already made €25m bids for the central defender, with Manchester United and Lazio also possibly interested.

The 27-year-old centrehalf was one of the best players at his position last season in the Serie A, and he played in 39 games for Torino in the league and the cup, adding four goals and an assist too.

Izzo has a colourful history, having been suspended for 18 months from football for not reporting match-fixing at his previous club Avellino. That sentence was later reduced to just six months. His redemption was completed this season though after he was called up to the Italy national squad and got his first cap too.

The defender is known for his ability on the ball, but like most Italians playing that position, is strong on the tackle and a tough opponent in the air. His stats are mostly in the top six for central defenders: 2.1 tackles, 2.4 interceptions, 1.7 blocks, 50.4 passes (at 78% accuracy), 3.2 aerials won (67% rate) all per 90 minutes played.

Everton currently have Michael Keane and Yerry Mina as the two recognized centrehalves on the squad, while Mason Holgate remains on the fringes. The Blues are in the process of trying to make Kurt Zouma’s loan deal permanent, but with Phil Jagielka leaving the club, it’s likely that Marcel Brands and Marco Silva will go look for another older defender to provide experienced cover.

The Blues have also been linked with Adam Webster of Bristol City and Diego Llorente of Real Sociedad as well, but it does feel that it’ll all be dependent on whether Zouma can be pried away from Chelsea or not, and that decision might take some time to be made.

With Torino’s reluctance to sell considering now they are in the Europa League (AC Milan have been suspended from Europe after failing to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations) and the combination of his age and the pricetag he is likely to command, it’s unlikely Everton will be in for Izzo this summer.