Udinese forward Beto Betuncal has revealed his side held talks with Everton over a deal during the January transfer window.
Everton endured a dreadful end to the transfer window with numerous attempts to strengthen Sean Dyche’s squad resulting in failure. That came despite promises from majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, that his club would secure a much-needed striker in January.
A number of forwards were linked with the Blues during the month, with reports from both England and Italy claiming after the window shut that Everton had a bid worth £20m plus add-ons rejected for Beto.
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And now speaking to Goal, the 25-year-old, who has scored nine goals in 27 games for his side so far this season, has revealed he was close to joining Everton after talks between his club and the Blues took place.
"It's true that I was close to Everton," he said. "The two teams talked but nothing happened in the end.
"But I just had to focus on football because Udinese weren't doing well during that period either, so it was better not to think too much about the transfer market.
"Obviously I think I have the ability to play anywhere, in any country, not just England, but also Italy is perfect for me, so I'm happy here.
"In the future, I would just like to play in the Champions League against the best players in the world. But to do that I need to become an even better player himself."
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