Everton offer grabs Steven Bergwijn attention, open to include in Richarlison Tottenham deal
Steven Bergwijn had “his heart set” on a move to Ajax but the offer from Everton is enough to take his attention, according to 90min.
His exit from Tottenham to return to the Eredivisie was apparently close to being a “formality” before the Toffees swooped in with a late offer which is now “under consideration”.
The club are also apparently happy to discuss the Dutchman as part of the proposed sale of Richarlison to Spurs, despite a straight cash move previously being the preference.
The 90min report says: “Everton have swooped in with a contract offer which is much more lucrative than the one on the table from the Dutch champions. Bergwijn had his heart set on Ajax but is giving consideration to Everton’s bid.
“The Toffees are open to discussing a deal for Bergwijn as part of Spurs’ ongoing negotiations for Richarlison or as a separate transfer.”
The attacking man is the latest in a string of Tottenham players to be mentioned in conjunction with the Brazilian’s possible exit, including Harry Winks and Lucas Moura.
Turnaround
With the discussions surrounding the 25-year-old Toffees star apparently accelerating it looks like the club may be on the brink of some incoming transfer business.
They need the money from his sale in order to finance buys, as well as to help satisfy the debt obligations [Mirror], and while Spurs don’t apparently want to cough up the full asking price there looks to be a softening of the stance on a swap within the Goodison hierarchy.
Winks is someone the manager likes but has a £20million fee attached to him [Telegraph], while Bergwijn is a late addition to the equation
In theory he could be a replacement in the squad for the Pigeon, although he hasn’t proven himself to the same degree in the Premier League.
If the club have dropped a contract offer on the table that is strong enough to get his attention when a move back to his homeland was so close then it suggests there is serious intent.
And since Daniel Levy wants to bring the Richarlison price down perhaps he will also reduce the cost of Winks who all sides want to progress with, while Bergwijn on top would at least represent a notable return.
The situation is far from ideal for Everton who would be able to retain the ability to walk away from negotiations on their star man in normal circumstances.
But their hand is being forced and if Lampard is not going to get the luxury of shopping around for his own targets it would be some consolation to secure players from Spurs if he sees value in them.