Report – Everton stance on summer swoop for continental 21y/o revealed
Everton are not working on a deal to bring Gianluigi Donnarumma to Goodison Park this summer, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper was initially linked with a move to Merseyside earlier in the week, with Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport claiming that the AC Milan stopper was a target for both the Toffees and Chelsea.
The report also suggested that the Italy international is already learning English ahead of a potential switch to the Premier League.
But the Echo understands that no deal is in the pipeline, with Carlo Ancelotti previously stating that he is willing to stick with current number one Jordan Pickford, despite a run of inconsistent form.
The local outlet also report that the boss will look to prioritise other positions, including the centre of midfield and his defence.
Is this the right move from Everton?
There’s no denying that Donnarumma is a great player with plenty of potential.
The Italian may only be 21, but he’s got an awful lot of experience after having broken into the first team at Milan at such a young age.
So far this term he has conceded 0.96 goals per game, despite his xG rating being 1.02, as per Wyscout.
The 6’5″ talent has also averaged 3.02 saves per game this term, including 46.4% using reflexes.
But crucially, Jordan Pickford’s stats in those categories aren’t too far below the Italian’s.
The England number one has conceded 1.22 per game, making 2.97 saves with a reflex average of 45%, as per Wyscout.
Whether those numbers are good enough to justify Ancleotti keeping faith in him this summer remains to be seen, but it would appear that this one is out of the question.
In other Everton news, Toffees ready £15m bid for Galatasaray talent.