Marseille midfielder Lorik Cana has claimed that he could join Everton if his move to Hamburg falls through.
Cana was expected to complete a move to Hamburg this weekend and is widely quoted in the French press this morning saying: "Everton in England are also interested, they are a very good club. I also have other options in Italy."
The Albanian international is eager for a new challenge and has told this to new OM coach Didier Deschamps. Marseille have announced the signing of Stephane Mbia from Rennes today as a replacement for their former captain.
Cana established himself as one of the most important cogs in the Marseille side last season as they came so close to securing the Ligue 1 title, which was eventually won by Bordeaux. The 25-year-old midfielder joined OM from PSG at the start of the 2005/2006 season.
During the 2008/2009 season, Cana played 38 games, scoring two goals and providing one assist. Being a combative central midfielder he also picked up seven yellow cards and was sent off once.
The 6.1ft central midfielder has made 37 appearances for the Albanian national team, is thought to be worth around 7.5 million euros and is contracted to Marseille until the end of the 2011/2012 season. Cana captained Marseille on a number of occasions and is also reportedly being tracked by Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.
IMScouting’s network of scouts in France describe Cana as "a true leader on the field and in the locker room. One of the supporters’ favourite players. He can also play as a central defender if there are injuries to the defenders."
Video evidence of Lorik Cana in action can be seen on the video below.