Wilmar Barrios has opened up on how he was in the running to be Everton's potential replacement for Idrissa Gueye at one stage.
The midfielder had fashioned himself into one of the most influential players at Goodison Park through a string of fantastic performances since joining from Aston Villa in 2016, making him a favourite with Blues fans.
However, the Senegal international completed a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019, with Everton bringing Jean-Philippe Gbamin to the club as his replacement.
But that might not have always been the plan.
A few months earlier the French side failed in their attempts to sign Gueye, instead bringing Leandro Paredes to France from Zenit Saint Petersburg.
The Russian club signed Barrios to replace their outgoing star in February 2019, but he has now revealed there was initially contact from Everton before that move.
He told ESPN [via Gol Caracol and SportWitness ]: "The idea was Everton, there had been talk. At Everton they had to sell the defensive midfielder, who was expected to go to PSG and he eventually left [in the summer of 2019].
"I kept calm at that time, until the last day of the European market.
"Felipe called me and told me that those at Zenit were advanced because they had sold Paredes to Paris.
"I spoke with Alfaro, he told me about the possibility that the contract would be closed and he told me to travel and if things did not happen, you would take a plane and return to Buenos Aires. I was having lunch. I was going to get on the bus and Felipe called me and told me that the transfer was closed."
Barrios has now become a regular fixture in the Zenit Saint Petersburg side, helping them to the top of the Russian Premier League.
