Everton to sanction Dominic Calvert-Lewin sale after Vitor Roque transfer update
News that Everton are negotiating with Barcelona for teenage striker Vitor Roque feels like a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it’s exciting to see the Toffees linked with a promising 19-year-old striker, with Florian Plettenberg [13 August] reporting that the Toffees have seen a package worth £23.8million rejected for the Brazilian with Barcelona waiting for an offer in the region of £25-29m.
But on the other, it does make you wonder if this is Everton looking for reinforcement or already planning for a departure – namely that of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The 27-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his contract and his future has been the subject of speculation this summer and the arrival of a new forward might be what lights the touch paper to accelerate his departure.
Everton to part ways with Dominic Calvert-Lewin
As things stands, there is no doubt that Calvert-Lewin is Everton’s go-to man, especially given the struggles Beto had during his maiden campaign in English football.
But it looked almost certain that Calvert-Lewin would leave earlier this summer, as a move to Newcastle, in which Yankuba Minteh would have arrived in L4, collapsed ahead of the June 30 PSR deadline [The Telegraph].
Everton, in their current financial predicament [Stefan Borson], can’t allow a player of Calvert-Lewin’s salary to sit on the bench and his wages to eat into the budget.
His future needs to be clarified in the coming weeks either with a newly signed contract or a sanctioned sale, with the latter surely becoming the most likely outcome if Vitor Roque arrives.
The Toffees have identified a striker as the next focus for recruitment and, after initial reports that AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham [Gazzetta dello Sport] was Sean Dyche’s main target, the attention has turned to 19-year-old Roque.
He has played only 16 times for Barcelona, scoring two goals since his move to Spain from Athletico-PR last year where he was considered one of the best young prospects in Brazil with 28 goals and 11 assists in 81 appearances for the Brazil Serie A side.
Calvert-Lewin managed just seven Premier League goals last term but he is still an important cog in the Everton wheel.
Perhaps, though, signing an exciting young striker would soften the blow if the Toffees opted to pull the trigger and sell him.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are under so much pressure as risk emerges at Goodison Park.
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