Sam Allardyce to move for West Brom defender Jonny Evans if he remains Everton manager

Everton manager Sam Allardyce will try and sign West Bromwich Albion captain Jonny Evans if he remains in charge at Goodison Park beyond the end of the season, though may face competition from West Ham United and long-time admirers Leicester City, according to the Mirror.

Evans is expected to leave The Hawthorns at the end of the current campaign and will reportedly be allowed to move for a paltry sum of £3m ($4.1m) if Alan Pardew's side suffer relegation, a rather likely prospect given that they are seven points adrift of safety with 10 matches of the league season remaining.

Arsenal were hopeful of concluding a deal for the former Manchester United defender in January, while Manchester City were also interested in the 30-year-old, who was one of the four West Brom players accused of stealing a taxi during the club's mid-season trip to Barcelona.

The Gunners could not agree a fee with the Baggies for Evans, while City eventually signed Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Club Bilbao.

It remains to be seen if Arsenal will see fit to revive their interest in Evans, but the Mirror suggest that Allardyce is keen to bring the centre-back to Everton, provided he is still in charge on Merseyside.

Everton have signed two centre-halves this season in the form of Michael Keane and Eliaquim Mangala, who could miss the rest of the campaign with a knee problem, but they may be inclined to delve into the transfer market for another option to bolster the heart of their unconvincing backline.

Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams are both in the last knockings of their respective careers, while Mangala is expected to move back to parent club Manchester City when his ill-fated loan spell comes to an end. Evans, a good age for a centre-back at 30, would be a substantial and cut-price upgrade on the aforementioned trio, and his services are also of interest to West Ham and Leicester.

David Moyes' side are in need of a new defender after Jose Fonte left for China earlier this month, while Leicester have been monitoring Evans for quite some time.