West Brom Rejects £18M Bid From Manchester City for Jonny Evans
Premier League big spenders Manchester City have had a first bid of £18m bid turned down by West Bromwich Albion for Jonny Evans according to a report in the Telegraph.
City boss Pep Guardiola has surprisingly earmarked Evans as another one of his summer targets as he seeks to further strengthen his side's back-line.
The initial offer, which also included add-ons was turned down by the Baggies, who desire to keep the Northern Ireland defender at the club and persuade him to commit his future to the club by signing a new contract.
However, with the financial power City possess, it very likely that another offer will be presented to West Brom for consideration even though the club has publicly stated Evans is not for sale.
Considering the fact that the Baggies have a fairly small squad, holding onto key players is a must and boss Tony Pulis will only be willing to sell if adequate replacements can be brought in.
Evans arrived the Hawthorns two years ago from Manchester United and since then, the 29-year-old defender has proved to be something of an underrated player in the Premier League.
His ability has not escaped the attention of Guardiola, who is said to hold Evans in high esteem with his positional sense, awareness and ability with the ball some of the things he admires. In addition to this, Evans has played in the Premier League and Europe's elite competition for a good number of years and will add experience to City's defence.
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City are keen to offload a number of defenders, with players such as Eliaquim Mangala drawing interest from Inter Milan and Jason Denayer viewed to be surplus to requirements at the club.
Youngster Tosin Adarabioyo could also go away on loan and Guardiola wants adequate cover for the likes of Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones in what will be a typical back three.
With Kompany's history of recurring injuries over the last few seasons it makes sense for City to have another centre-half in the ranks. If Guardiola were to sign Evans it would take the club's spending to nearly £250m.
