Chelsea-linked defender has asked to leave Everton, Benitez confirms

Lucas Digne has fallen out of favour at Everton, with Chelsea eyeing a January move for the defender.

Chelsea saw their left-back Ben Chilwell underwent surgery last week. The England international will miss the rest of the season as he needs more time to complete his rehabilitation.

The Blues hope to find a replacement for Chilwell in the January transfer window. Lyon rejected the London club’s request to bring back Emerson Palmieri from his loan spell. However, several sources have linked Chelsea with a move for Everton’s Lucas Digne.

Speaking ahead of Everton’s upcoming match against Hull City, Rafael Benitez confirmed Digne’s request to leave Goodison Park.

During the press conference, Benitez referenced this Tweet from Everton legend Peter Reid.

He said (via Daily Mail): “I think it was very clear,

“I want to ask the question to every fan and former players – what Peter Reid will do and say when a players says he does not want to be there. It’s there, simple.

“A couple of conversations with (Digne), he told me what he thought. What do you expect the manager to do when the player is thinking about to leave? I will say again: the fans, former players. What will Peter Reid say if a player goes to the manager and says he does not want to be here?

“We need players that want to be here. Talking about individual stats when the team finished 10th [last season], it means nothing for me. I want a winning mentality, ambition, it will take some time.”

Aston Villa are making moves as they 'plot Lucas Digne hijack' from Chelsea and Newcastle after Philippe Coutinho loan deal.. #AVFC https://t.co/hmscOKYH5B
— Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) January 7, 2022

Digne has not played for the Toffees since their 4-1 home defeat against Liverpool on December 1.

Asked whether there are any bids for the Everton defender, Benitez responded:

“I would like to sign [Erling] Haaland and [Kylian] Mbappe, but you’d need commitment. We don’t have commitment yet,” he said.

“There is interest but nothing concrete. What I cannot do is give priority to those who are not interested. Do we want to grow and improve or just manage egos?”