Everton have been given hope in their pursuit of Axel Witsel after the central midfielder told Zenit St. Petersburg he wants to leave the Russian giants this summer.
Witsel, 27, has spent the last four years at Zenit but has been regularly linked with a move to Napoli and Everton this summer.
Napoli failed to agree terms with the Belgium international and Everton now appear in the driving seat after reportedly agreeing a €30m (£25m) deal with Zenit.
“He has spoken with the club and he has asked to leave,” Zenit manager Mircea Lucescu told Italian newspaper Calciomercato, via Sky Sports. “The club placed a high valuation on him because he is an important payer, one of international level.
“I know that he has been offered a contract renewal, but it won’t be easy. He’s had important proposals for the last two years; the transfer market is long and has its own logic. We are talking about a player who can do well in many teams.”
Only Sergei Ignashevich (4183) has completed more accurate passes in the last three Russian Premier League campaigns than Witsel (4099).
For more stats on Axel Witsel, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
