View: Everton interest in Lautaro Martinez delivers exciting statement of ambition
Everton set a rather exciting precedent last summer when they signed serial winner James Rodriguez from Real Madrid on a free transfer.
The Colombian playmaker joined Madrid in 2014 for £71million as the fourth most expensive transfer of all-time (at the time), following a successful World Cup campaign where he was awarded the Golden Boot.
Though injuries and ageing had seen his stock drop significantly since then, Rodriguez’s technical ability alone made him seem beyond Everton’s reach, despite the club’s interest in his services.
However Everton brought the Colombia international to Goodison Park, with Carlo Ancelotti using the signing to signal his long-term intentions on Merseyside.
Now, according to Calcio Mercato, Everton could attempt to do the same this summer after being linked with a sensational swoop for Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez.
Having previously been described by compatriot Mauricio Pochettino as one of the best strikers in world football (Bleacher Report), Everton’s prospects of signing Martinez appear far slimmer than their hopes of signing Rodriguez last summer.
Still just 23-years old, the diminutive forward has earned plenty of admirers, with Barcelona famously considering him to be Luis Suarez’s successor at the Nou Camp, having pursued him throughout last summer [Goal].
Martinez however committed himself to Inter last month, as reports La Gazzetta dello Sport, declaring the Barcelona transfer saga to be in his past.
Everton’s chances of landing Lautaro this summer, a player with incredible ability and untold potential, appear slim. Martinez would likely scoff at the prospect of moving to Goodison Park without at least the promise of Champions League football.
However, there is more important information to glean from this story; namely Everton’s ambitions in the transfer market.
Assuming all goes well during construction, the Toffees are set to move into a new and improved stadium in a few years, and it is no secret that Ancelotti would like to build a team befitting of their new home.
Lautaro would be an incredible signing to signal Everton’s long-term ambitions of competing at the very top, but their interest in the Argentine alone sees them throw down the gauntlet.
Without Champions League football on offer, the Blues may be forced to bide their time before they can expect to bring bona fide superstars to Merseyside – however, their interest in the player alone tells an exciting story in itself.
In other Everton news, Rio Ferdinand has showered praise on Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.