Everton have joined the growing list of Premier League admirers for Real Valladolid defender Mohammed Salisu.
Centre half Salisu, 21, is a hot property because he has one year left on his current deal and also has a £10m buy-out clause.
Ghana international Salisu has also attracted strong interest from Southampton who appear to be among the front runners while Manchester United are also keeping tabs.
Everton have now asked to be kept informed on developments while Atletico Madrid and several clubs in Italy are also looking because he represents a bargain in a difficult market.
Salisu has already turned down interest from France and Rennes as he knows there is a strong chance of a move to the Premier League.
He is top of the list of La Liga defenders for clearances with 136 this season - ahead of Villarreal’s Spain international Raul Albiol and Sevilla’s Diego Carlos - and has been watched by English scouts.
Southampton are very keen on Salisu as they look to shake up their squad with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg a target for Tottenham this summer.
Manchester United star Juan Mata’s father and agent Juan Mata senior is Salisu’s agent and has already hinted heavily he could be on the move.
Everton were previously eyeing Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, but reports now suggest Napoli have agreed a deal with the Brazilian.
Atletico Madrid's Santiago Arias has also been linked and is valued at around £13.5m.
It is thought the Toffees will also battle Tottenham for the aforementioned Hojbjerg, who has been stripped of the captaincy at Southampton.
Hojbjerg announced publicly last month that he wants to play at a "higher level" and Southampton have admitted they would be reluctantly forced to accept any offer that meets their asking price this summer.
The midfielder is out of contract at the end of next season.
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