Minimum fee stated, as Everton striker target finally accepts transfer fate

The desire for Luka Jovic and Real Madrid to go their separate ways is now mutual and there are two ways Everton can sign him, a report in Spain has revealed.

Jovic was a €60m investment for Real Madrid back in 2019 after showing strong form for Eintracht Frankfurt. But like his former strike partner Sebastien Haller, who left for West Ham in the same window, he struggled at his next club despite his obvious talent.

Haller has since revived his career beyond West Ham with Ajax. Jovic would be hoping to do the same if he moves elsewhere to end his nightmare in Madrid.

The Serbia international only managed two goals from 27 appearances in his debut season in Spain. He failed to score from five further outings in the first half of his second season, before going back on loan to Frankfurt for the rest of it.

Four goals from 18 games followed in Germany, before his return to the Spanish capital in the summer. Since then, he has still only scored once from 17 games.

It means he has a total of just three goals from 49 appearances. That form is a far cry from what they thought they were paying for.

However, there have been difficulties for Real offloading Jovic. He did not want to leave them in either of the past two summer transfer windows.

But according to AS, he is now ready to pack his bags at the third time of asking. After recently being overlooked for El Clasico, despite the absence of Karim Benzema, Jovic knows his time is up.

Luka Jovic is packing his bags ready for Premier League move from Real Madrid

Luka Jovic will join either Arsenal or Everton, reports say, as Real Madrid exit is likely.

The possible arrivals of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in the summer would further push him down the pecking order. Therefore, he now accepts he must move away from Madrid.

Everton have been identified as an interested party. They have reportedly put Dominic Calvert-Lewin up for sale in the summer after an injury-hit campaign and could be on the lookout for a replacement.

Jovic is someone they have considered in the past. Although AS deny there was an approach in January, it is not impossible that there could be one in the summer.

Everton have two ways to sign Luka Jovic

To obtain Jovic, though, Everton must go down one of two transfer routes. First, they could meet Madrid’s asking price, but that stands at €30m (£25m) due to the value of his amortisation.

Alternatively, Madrid would be willing to let him go out on loan just to get his wages off the books. Jovic earns €4.5m per season, which roughly equates to £72,400 per week.

Problematically for Madrid, some suitors have been reluctant to match those levels. Everton’s stance remains unclear; it would likely depend on their Premier League status.

Frank Lampard is trying to steer the club away from the relegation zone. If they do fall into the bottom three, though, it could have consequences for their future plans.

But should they be able to secure top-flight status, signing someone like Jovic could be an interesting move. He has something to offer at the age of 24, but needs the consistent gametime to show it.

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