Everton effectively out of running to sign Goncalo Borges as £42.8m release clause news emerges
Everton supporters have every right to be excited after seeing their side linked with Porto attacker Goncalo Borges, but the latest update on the deal suggests the chances of a deal happening are extremely slim at best.
Fabrizio Romano first reported on Thursday [17 August] that Everton, along with Premier League rivals West Ham, are interested in signing the 22-year-old.
However, Portuguese outlet Sport reported on Saturday [19 August] that Borges’ release clause is set at around £42.8million (€50m) – and that may just be a valuation Porto are unwilling to budge on.
Should that be the case, the relatively unknown attacker would become the Toffees’ third-most expensive signing of all time, behind only Richarlison (£50m) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (£45m).
That would be quite the statement of intent by Everton’s under-fire backers, but it almost certainly will not happen. Not in this window; not in any in the foreseeable future.
The Toffees are prepared to go higher than the £25m offered to Leeds United for Wilfried Gnonto [David Ornstein], but it is unlikely they will make too many splurges in terms of fees.
Away from Gnonto, the only other player who seems close to arriving at Goodison Park is Che Adams [Sky Sports], who is a far cheaper option at around £12m, although talkSPORT reports an opening bid has been rejected.
Everton could always negotiate a better fee with Porto, of course, but the Primeira Liga heavyweights have no real reason to lower their asking price for a player under contract until 2027 and already attracting interest from multiple clubs.
It seems as though transfer links, rather than actual confirmed transfers, is the closest an Everton supporter can get to being excited about the future at this point.
Rather than suffer the same disappointment as countless times before, it is time to start coming to terms with a player of Adams’ calibre leading the line this season, rather than a Portuguese talent who is simply out of the club’s price range.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are also reportedly keeping tabs on a player from Ligue 1.