Following on from Everton’s 4-0 victory over Yeovil Town last night, another trio of players have been linked with a move to Goodison Park this morning.
Firstly, the BBC are reporting that the Toffees have identified Deportivo La Coruna forward Lucas Perez Martinez as the man to provide support for Romelu Lukaku this campaign. It is claimed that new director of football Steve Walsh is a long-term admirer of the 27-year-old, who scored 17 goals in La Liga last season, and is hopeful that he can convince the player to make the move to the Premier League. It is anticipated that it will cost in the region of £15 million to convince the Spanish side to sell, but with the money made from the John Stones deal and the additional funding provided by new owner Farhad Moshiri, this should not prove to be too much of an issue for the Blues.
With Lukaku, and Arouna Kone, who bagged a brace in last night’s win, being the club’s only senior strikers, cover is desperately needed before the transfer window closes next week and although a move for Southampton striker Charlie Austin had originally been mooted in some quarters, it appears as though attentions have now turned towards Perez Martinez.
According to the same report, one Saints player that may be on the verge of a reunion with Ronald Koeman is Cuco Martina. With Seamus Coleman currently sidelined with an ankle injury, the Everton boss is thought to be keen to secure cover for this area and has returned to his former club in his attempts to do so.
James McCarthy has filled in on the right-hand side of a 3-5-2 in the opening two Premier League games of the season, but following the departure of Tony Hibbert this summer, Everton are currently without a back-up right-back. Martina, who has made 24 international appearances for Curacao, joined Southampton from FC Twente last summer and went on to make 15 appearances in the league last season. However, the arrival of Jeremy Pied this summer appears to have pushed Martina down to third choice at St. Mary’s, so the chance to play under the man who originally signed him may prove too tempting to turn down.
Finally, reports emerging this morning are also linking Everton with a shock move for Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli. The Italian international has endured a nightmare two years at Anfield following a £16 million move from AC Milan and Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is desperate to offload the 26-year-old before the end of the transfer window.
Balotelli has been linked with a number of clubs this summer but as the weeks pass by, it looks less and less likely that Liverpool will be able to off-load their enigmatic flop. Serie A side Sassuolo turned down the chance to sign him this week and according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola has now contacted the Toffees to offer his client’s services.
Presumably, Blues supporters hearing the news this morning will be frantically slapping their faces as they attempt to rouse themselves from this nightmare that they appear to be stuck in. However, the chances of this one coming off are surely slim and you would like to think that Koeman has a lot better judgement than to put his faith in Balotelli becoming the player that he once had the potential to become.
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