Everton coach Rafa Benitez confirms Inter target Lucas Digne wants to leave the Toffees in the January transfer window.
The former Roma man is reportedly not on good terms with the former Inter and Napoli tactician. Therefore he is seeking an escape route from Goodison Park.
Inter saw a loan offer rejected as Everton are only interested in a permanent transfer for the France international who sees his contract expire in June 2025.
“I have no explanation [for why he wants to leave]. If someone is happy or not happy, you are paid big money and have to perform. In modern football, maybe the stats and the priorities have changed and maybe people think about themselves before the team,” Benitez said at a press conference, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“We knew already, we were trying to manage the situation. We have interest but nothing concrete. What I cannot do is bring players who want to be here.
“We know Lucas is a good player. The question is what the team needs, and then we didn’t have that. The team has to do something, every player has to be there for the task.”
Inter are on the lookout for a new left wing-back in January but have a tight transfer budget so they are not considering permanent moves in the winter transfer window.
Digne would be open to returning to Italy on an initial loan move and according to Calciomercato.com, Chelsea will rival Inter for his signature with the Premier League champions looking for a replacement for the injured Ben Chilwell.
Ivan Perisic could leave the Nerazzurri at the end of his contract in June and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic is a top transfer target for the Nerazzurri, but the Serbia international will likely join Inter in June and not in January.
— Everton FC News (@LivEchoEFC) January 7, 2022