Failed £25m Everton signing eyes shock PL comeback after contract with club comes to an end
Former Everton winger Yannick Bolasie
Former Everton and Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie wants one last crack in the Premier League before he retires, it has been claimed.
The 34-year-old left Turkish side Caykur Rizespor at the end of last season and is currently a free agent and searching for a new club.
Bolasie, who has endured a lot of injury problems throughout his career, had a successful season in the Turkish second division last term.
He netted an impressive 17 goals in 26 league appearances for Rizespor, helping them gain promotion back into the Super Lig.
Bolasie enjoyed a successful four-year stint with Crystal Palace. There, he made 144 appearances in all competitions, scoring 13 goals and making 30 assists in the process.
His good form at Selhurst Park earned him a £25m move to Everton in 2016. However, he picked up a cruciate ligament injury soon after his arrival at Goodison Park, which started the downward trajectory of his Premier League career.
Bolasie also had brief spells at Aston Villa, Anderlecht and Sporting Lisbon, but never rediscovered the form he showed for Crystal Palace.
Now, Bolasie wants one last chance to prove he can still perform at the highest level.
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Bolasie eyeing a ‘new challenge’ in Europe’s ‘Big Five’
According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Bolasie ‘wants a new challenge’ in a ‘European Big Five club.’
The report notes that the DR Congo international’s preference would be a return to England, or would consider ‘evolving’ in France – where he played as a youngster before moving to England.
Discussions are reportedly ‘underway’ with several European clubs and there is ‘a belief’ that a deal could be struck ‘quickly.’ It isn’t clear at this stage whether any of those clubs are from the Premier League.
It’s stated that Bolasie remains ‘in good shape’ despite the injuries he has faced throughout his career.
Despite his wishes, given his age and track record, it seems far more likely that Bolasie would join a Championship club rather than a Premier League one.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if any English teams take a punt on him in the next few days.