Jean-Kevin Augustin - on the verge of moving to Ligue 1 outfit Nice - reportedly turned down the chance to sign for both Everton and Crystal Palace this summer.
Both sides were on the lookout for a new number nine this summer, having struggled for goals from their frontmen last season.
Cenk Tosun, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew all fluffed their lines repeatedly when given their respective opportunities, scoring just 11 goals between themselves, while Michy Batshuayi returned to his parent club Chelsea.
Instead, Everton and Palace relied on the likes of Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Wilfried Zaha and Luka Milivojevic for goals, a risky tactic for sides who want to establish themselves in the top half of the Premier League.
According to L'Equipe, Augustin was a player on their radars, with both clubs enquiring about the RB Leipzig striker. The France Under-21 international had been prolific at youth level and achieved a respectable goalscoring record for the German outfit, considering he was primarily used in backup to Timo Werner.
However, the PSG youth product rejected their advances and is instead close to joining Nice in an £18m deal, where he will play under the management of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
Everton will be the happier of the two clubs as a result of Augustin's decision, purchasing 19-year-old striker Moise Kean from Juventus instead. The full Italy international is considered an even bigger talent than Augustin, with an excellent record in front of goal at every level he's played.
Palace, on the other hand, had to manage with the permanent signing of Ayew, signed from Swansea for just £2.5m. Despite underwhelming at Selhurst Park on loan the previous season, the Ghanaian international was the best Palace could achieve, refusing to enter the season with only the misfiring Benteke and injury-plagued Connor Wickham as striking options.
Source: 90min
