Everton 'want' ex-Leeds United midfielder set to 'leave' Juventus

Everton are reportedly one club chasing a move for Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie.

The USA international has just one year left on his current deal and is reportedly free to leave this summer as the club welcome new manager Thiago Motta. Having made 29 starts in Serie A last season, he was a consistent figure for the Italian side as they finished third behind both Milan clubs.

He boasts previous, but limited, experience in the Premier League having managed just 20 games for Leeds United on loan in the back end of the 2022/23 campaign. Having been at Juventus since 2021, he’s played 134 times and has scored on 13 occasions and registered 15 assists. He’s won the Coppa Italia on two occasions and was part of the squad that won the Supercoppa Italia in 2020.

Now, it looks like he could exit, according to reports from Italy. According to Tuttosport, Everton have made contact in recent days. Everton have made ‘inquiries’ which is likely to be around how much a potential deal would cost - Tuttosport say Juventus are looking for €15-20m to sell the midfielder.

The 25-year-old made his 56th appearance for his country in the recent Copa America tournament. However, the USA failed to make it out of the group stage which resulted in manager Gregg Berhalter leaving his role. He started all three games in the group stages, but back-to-back defeats to Panama and Uruguay saw them fail to proceed any further. Despite having issues over his status at the club last summer, McKennie responded with a respectable season showing. Suited to a more traditional ‘number eight’ role, he wouldn’t be a direct replacement for the outgoing Amadou Onana, as he looks to affect the game going forward, rather than in defence. However, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t contribute at both ends.

He ranked highly for aerials won and clearances (95th percentile) but he also boasted a high amount of touches in the opposition’s area, received a very high amount of progressive passes and was adept at progressive carries. His seven assists in Serie A last season proved he can influence the game and he would add an extra dimension to Everton’s midfield.