Everton and Aston Villa to rival Bournemouth for the signing of Nantes’ Nathan Zézé

Everton and Aston Villa are interested in making a move for Nantes centre-back Nathan Zézé (19), according to Ouest-France. Among Premier League sides, AFC Bournemouth have blinked first in the race to sign the highly promising France U20 centre-back. The Cherries are in the market for a centre-back after Real Madrid triggered Dean Huijsen’s release clause. Bournemouth expected to part ways with the Spain international and they had already submitted a verbal €20m bid to Nantes.

Zézé remains tied with a contract set to expire in 2028, but Nantes have no hope of retaining his services, particularly in the context of Ligue 1’s TV rights debacle that would force most French clubs to sell their prized assets. Nevertheless, Nantes have informed Bournemouth that their €20m bid fell short of their valuation, probably to provoke a bidding war for Zézé.

Ouest-France adds that Bournemouth are not the only club showing interest in the young left-footed centre-back. Aston Villa and Everton are reportedly following Zézé’s situation. The France U20 international is also of interest for RB Leipzig, Como and Inter Milan.