Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira pushed to sign Donny van de Beek ahead of Everton last month.
Everton fended off competition from Palace in the January transfer window to make the Manchester United playmaker Frank Lampard's first signing as Blues boss.
However, The Athletic reports that it was Vieira who was “keen" on the 24-year-old, despite him going against the club's recruitment model.
It is claimed that it would have been an “uncharacteristic" move from Palace, given that the potential deal did not include an option to buy.
Van de Beek is on-loan at Everton to June.
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