Burnley's Turf Moor seen from the side with the club's name visible
Burnley's Turf Moor seen from the side with the club's name visible
Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images
Premier League new boys Burnley are close to snapping up Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis despite suggestions Everton have been preparing to make a bid.
The Portuguese defensive midfielder has been a long-serving player for Benfica and is close to reaching 200 appearances for the Lisbon side.
This summer, he has caught the attention of a number of European clubs, who are working to take him off Benfica’s books.
Burnley have been keen, but it was suggested on Thursday that David Moyes’ Everton team were “preparing a proposal” for him after reigniting an interest from 2024.
If that is the case though then Everton may have left it too late as Burnley are powering ahead with their swoop.
According to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, Burnley are close to beating off competition to sign Luis from Benfica.
They have put what is suggested to be the highest proposal on the table for Luis so far and it could well be enough to sign him from the Portuguese giants.
Club Years
Benfica 2016-
Monaco (loan) 2020-2021
Getafe (loan) 2021-2022
The exact terms of the agreement remain to be seen, but Burnley will not want to risk any deal hijack, which means speed is a must.
Burnley will want to give Luis a medical soon after finalising the terms with both Benfica and the player.
Everton are hunting for midfield reinforcements and recently saw West Ham knock back a proposal for Tomas Soucek, a player that former Hammers boss David Moyes knows well.
They also held talks with former West Ham midfielder Carlos Soler as recently as Wednesday, but he is heading back to Spain with Real Sociedad.
It remains to be seen where else Everton will look, with Luis looking like soon no longer being an option.