Marcel Brands set to hold talks over future of Everton midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson
Marcel Brands is set to hold talks over the transfer of Everton midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, according to Ekrem Konur.
The Twitter-verified reporter who has over 100,000 followers is regularly mentioned by the Saudia Arabia account of Goal, the online news outlet boasting over 2.5million followers themselves.
Konur wrote on his personal Twitter profile: “Everton are looking positively at Al Hilal’s bid for Gylfi Sigurdsson. However, Sigurdsson does not want to leave the Premier League for the time being. Everton’s [director of football] Marcel Brands will hold talks with Sigurdsson’s manager.”
Konur didn’t mention a fee this time around, but he previously reported that the Saudi Arabian side would make an £8.6million offer for the Icelandic star, and he linked his recent update to that tweet.
There is also potentially some confusion over the translation of his use of the term ‘manager’. It could be meant as Sigurdsson’s Everton manager, which is the newly-appointed Rafa Benitez, but the direct translation would suggest it is his own individual manager, or agent.
Brands on a mission
It looks like Brands will be tasked with shipping Sigurdsson out of the club as the Blues look to make some major moves in the transfer market.
A new manager in Benitez has just walked through the door, and he is bound to have his own ideas of reshaping the squad with his personal targets.
But, truth be told, a major shake-up was required even without Carlo Ancelotti’s exit and his subsequent appointment.
Our squad looks woefully imbalanced, with a dearth of forwards, particularly wingers, and full-backs.
We’re stocked with midfielders, particularly ones that are not adding great significance to the side, and Sigurdsson could become a casualty of that overload.
Sigurdsson turns 32 in September, and the time has come for him to seek pastures new.
He may not see it that way, but the Blues must offload some personnel to make way for new recruits, and a Sigurdsson exit would be useful in order to remove one of the likely biggest earners at the club.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher shares instant reaction as the Blues unveil Rafa Benitez as new manager.
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