Everton
Premier League • England
Everton to land 20-goal Serie A striker for ‘cut-price fee’ after target ‘completely falls out’ with club
Everton were heavily linked with a move for Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia last summer and in January, but couldn’t afford him due to their financial issues.
The Toffees were ultimately deducted eight points for two breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and could face another punishment next season.
Despite those huge setbacks, Sean Dyche has done a fantastic job at Goodison Park, with his team on track to avoid relegation after a heroic 2-0 victory over rivals Liverpool on Wednesday.
TEAMtalk sources state that Everton will have to sell at least one key player before they submit their accounts for this season on June 30th to avoid another PSR charge.
Midfielder Amadou Onana and centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite are being chased by some of the biggest sides in Europe and are seen as the club’s most sellable assets.
The Merseyside club are also aware that they need to bring in reinforcements if they are to challenge for Europe again in the near future.
According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Everton have the opportunity to sign Dia from Salernitana for a ‘cut-price fee.’
Everton tipped to reignite move for Serie A forward
The report states that Salernitana are planning for a ‘busy summer’ after being relegated from the Serie A.
The club currently sit dead last of the table after picking up a measly total of just 15 points from 33 matches so far.
Despite Salerntiana’s woeful performances, Dia is still admired by clubs across Europe. The 27-year-old has scored four goals in 18 appearances so far this term.
Last season, when Salernitana narrowly avoided the drop, Dia netted a much more impressive 16 goals in 33 matches. He has scored 20 goals in total for the Serie A side.
Given that Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto have struggled to find consistent form this term, signing a new striker could prove to be a smart move for Everton.
Their sporting director Kevin Thelwell was reportedly the person who identified Dia as a target last summer.
Dia has ‘fallen out completely with Salernitana’ after the club blocked a move to Wolves late in the January window.
As a result, they ‘need to sell him this summer’ and would be willing to accept an offer of €20m (£17m) – which is €20m less than their previous demands.
Corriere dello Sport state that even that could be too high and the Toffees could get the opportunity for ‘much cheaper’ than initially expected.
Wolves may yet come back in for the Senegal international, too, so it will be interesting to see how this story progresses in the coming weeks.
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