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MELBOURNE VICTORY TARGET EVERTON STOPPER
Maarten Stekelenburg has emerged as a surprise transfer target from A league side, Melbourne Victory. The backup Everton goalkeeper has been linked with a shock move to Australia.
According to reports from Australia, the A league side have identified the world Cup finalist as an ideal target. They are determined to add the player to their squad in the summer transfer window. Stekelenburg will be out of contract by the end of the season.
Everton signed free agent Jonas Lossl last summer to serve as back up for England number one Jordan Pickford. Stekelenburg has been pushed further down the pecking order as he is now third choice at the club, as he enters the last year of his contract.
Stekelenburg, 37, joined Everton in 2016. He has made 27 appearances in all competitions, conceded 31 goals and kept 7 clean sheets in the process. Stekelenburg started his career with Ajax, he made his official debut for Ajax in February 2002, in a match against NAC Breda.
At the start of the 2002–03 season, he won his first prize when Ajax won the Johan Cruyff Shield. He made 191 league appearances for the club, winning the Eredivisie title among other honours with the Dutch giant. After 9 years with Ajax, Stekelenburg moved to Italy with Roma in 2011.
He made his debut for the Rome based outfit in September against Cagliari. He made 48 appearances for the club across two years before moving to England with Fulham. He had loan spells with Monaco and Southampton before making a permanent move to Everton in 2016.
He made his international debut for the Netherlands in September 2004 against Liechtenstein, whom they beat 3–0. He went ahead to collect 58 more caps for Oranje. The peak of his international career was the world Cup final defeat against Spain in South Africa.