Everton transfer news as Jordan Pickford and Amadou Onana exits on cards under MSP
Everton are still highly likely to sell key stars such as Jordan Pickford and Amadou Onana despite recent MSP Sports Capital developments at Goodison Park, according to the Daily Mail.
MSP are closing in on an agreement over further investment into the club after reaching an “exclusivity agreement” (BBC Sport, 22 May), however, the Toffees may still be forced to sell key players despite the new investment.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on 8 June that Manchester United are interested in Onana this summer, with the Daily Mail reporting (29 May) that Everton are holding out for £60million for the Belgium international.
Jordan Pickford is also attracting plenty of interest from Manchester United this summer, with newspaper journalist Alan Nixon sharing that the Red Devils want to sign him regardless of whether David De Gea leaves or not.
And according to the Daily Mail newspaper [13 June, page 67], it is highly likely that Everton will need to sell their prized assets this summer despite securing their new investment from MSP Sports Capital.
Tough ask if sold
While selling Pickford makes sense from a financial perspective at Goodison Park, on the sporting side it is a foolish and irresponsible piece of business given his irreplaceable nature at the club and the potential difficulties of finding a quality replacement ahead of next season.
It may prove easier for the Toffees to sell Onana given the reported £60m-plus fee being demanded by Everton, but even that would leave Sean Dyche in a tough spot as he prepares his squad for next season.
Everton have a bad record in the transfer window and there are no guarantees whether they can secure the kind of coups that the likes of Brighton and Aston Villa are courting these days.
In fact, the Toffees’ recruitment policy simply doesn’t have the capabilities for it, so losing the likes of Onana and Pickford could cost them severely down the line, even if they sell them for big money.
If Dyche is to properly rebuild this dire and lacklustre Everton squad, it would need to be led by a number of his key performers and entertaining offers for Pickford could leave the former Burnley boss in a very awkward and critical spot heading into the new campaign.
Selling both Pickford and Onana is a no-go zone. What message will that send to Dyche and his future plans at Goodison?