Everton to face competition from Galatasaray and Lazio for Klaassen's signature

Lazio and Galatasaray have entered the race to battle Everton for the signature of the Ajax captain.

Everton were firm favorites to sign Davy Klaassen last week, with manager Ronald Koeman personally going down to Ajax's 4-1 demolition of Lyon in the Europa League semi-final to scout Klaassen and even spoke with representatives of both player and club.

However, Lazio and Galatasaray have now entered the fray to sign the Dutch midfielder.

Klaasen has been a revelation this season, captaining an extremely young Ajax side to the Europa League final and almost guiding them to the league title. He scored 13 goals and assisted nine times in the league, creating 57 chances and completing a massive 1040 passes. 

Galatasaray will offer £15 million for the player and a four-year contract worth £2.5 million. This falls short of Everton's proposed £20 million for the midfielder, a price that Ajax has asked for.

However, reports in Italy suggest that Klaassen wants to ply his trade in the Serie A. The prospect of working with legend Filippo Inzaghi seems to be of interest to the young Dutchman and Lazio are ready to match Everton's offer for his services. 

The news will be disappointing for Everton, who are looking to replace the outgoing Ross Barkley and will want to avoid a bidding war as they look to bring in five to six players this summer in a massive squad overhaul.