Marcello Lippi hails Everton-linked £43m man who’s helping his team do ‘exceptional things’

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A player reportedly sought after by Everton head coach Carlo Ancelotti has been praised by legendary Italian manager Marcello Lippi.

According to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, the Toffees boss is a big admirer of Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto and is considering making a move to bring him to Goodison Park.

Alberto was previously on the books of Everton’s Merseyside rivals Liverpool, with then Reds boss Brendan Rodgers signing the Spaniard from Sevilla in 2013.

However, the 27-year-old’s spell at Anfield was nothing to write home about, making just 12 appearances, having been loaned out twice, before being offloaded to Lazio for around £4million (BBC Sport) less than four years ago.

Alberto has firmly put his fruitless time at Liverpool behind him to become a fan favourite at the Rome club, claiming an impressive 24 goals and 40 assists in 124 appearances.

Lippi told Citta Celeste: “I think Juve are still favourites for the Scudetto as per the start of the season. This despite Lazio doing exceptional things with perhaps the strongest midfield in the league, I especially like Luis Alberto.

“Immobile also benefits, he’s always scored goals but is (especially) fantastic this year. Inter? They’ve narrowed the gap to Juve and if they win the return fixture they would still be in with a shout.”

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Alberto has developed into a superb player over the past few years, to the point that his transfer value is reported to be around £43million (The Express).

With 13 assists and four goals in just 25 Serie A appearances this season, helping Lazio sit just one point behind leaders Juventus, it’s little surprise to see him linked with other clubs.

Aside from Lippi’s compliments, Alberto has also been described as an “extraordinary” player by teammate Francesco Acerbi (Corriere Dello Sport).

The Spanish maestro is certainly not going to be cheap, but with Everton having big plans for the future, he would no doubt be a worthy signing for Ancelotti and co.