Andre Gomes among six big-earners that can leave Everton
Everton are prepared to sanction the sales of six senior players if their price tags are met this summer, according to the Telegraph.
James Ducker, writing on the newspaper’s website, claims Portuguese central midfielder Andre Gomes is among those who can leave the Blues as new manager Rafa Benitez plots a shake-up of the squad.
Gomes, 27, joined Everton on loan from Barcelona in 2018 before making the move permanent a year later, but he made just 17 Premier League starts in the 2020/21 campaign.
James Rodriguez, Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph, Bernard and Cenk Tosun are also high earners that could be offloaded if the right offers are presented to the Blues.
Four of the players – Rodriguez, Delph, Bernard and Tosun – all see their contracts expire within the next year, while Mina’s and Gomes’ run out in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Stamping his authority
It appears as if Benitez is beginning to make his mark on the side, and it’s something that is much-needed, with a host of fringe players draining valuable funds from the club in the form of big pay packets.
The likes of Bernard and Tosun have barely played in recent times and were firmly on the periphery of the squad, and desperately need to be shipped out.
Gomes, meanwhile, has been failing to live up to expectations for quite some time now. As a former big-money Barcelona signing with a European Championship winners medal, he should be firmly entrenched in the Blues starting XI.
However, he has failed to force his way in alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan in the midfield areas, while even Tom Davies may be ahead of him in the pecking order.
In other Everton news, Benitez responded when he was asked about Rodriguez’s future.
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on Everton and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.