EVERTON and AC Milan will go head to head in a bid to snap up Dynamo Kiev defender Domagoj Vida, according to reports.
The giant Croatian is out of contract at his Ukrainian club, and will not sign a new deal.
That means he will be available on a free transfer at the turn of the year, with England or Italy seemingly his next stop.
Sports journalist Valeriy Prigornitskij reported in Ukrainian magazine Futbol that both Everton and AC Milan are interested in adding Vida to their defensive ranks.
And as well as the two suitors sharing a common interest, there are other similarities.
They have both splurged out millions in the summer with little success.
Everton are deep in the relegation mire in the Premier League, while Milan are a massive 13 points behind Serie A leaders Napoli in seventh.
It cost Ronald Koeman his job at Goodison Park, with the club still managerless.
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Meanwhile at Milan, Serie A legend Vincenzo Montella is coming under increasing pressure from a frustrated fan base.
Vida has collected 51 caps for Croatia, scoring two goals, and has become one of his country’s more recognisable players due to his blond ponytail and no-prisoners defending.
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But he might want to wait around to see what happens at Everton before signing a deal with them.
The Toffees have been rebuffed in their efforts to poach Marco Silva from Watford and make him their new boss.
Everton are also considering Sam Allardyce and Sean Dyche for the vacant role, but wanted to speak with the 40-year-old Vicarage Road chief too.
Silva is believed to be interested in holding talks with the Merseyside club, but Watford a loathe to lose their boss mid-season – especially just 12 matches into his tenure.
Silva has no release clause in his contract, that means Everton would have to offer a large compensation package to try and tempt their Premier league rivals into changing their mind.
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