Everton decision made a lot simpler by Santiago Castro's Serie A stats - Verdict

Everton have been linked with a potential £40million-plus swoop for Bologna's Santiago Castro, but that could be a costly mistake.

As it seems like Everton typically are each summer, David Moyes looks keen to add a centre-forward to his ranks ahead of the 2026-27 season.

His Toffees team scored just 47 Premier League goals last term, as a dismal final seven-game winless run cost them their chance of European qualification.

To remedy this, Everton have been linked with a possible move for Bologna star Castro, who has made 105 career appearances and scored 22 goals for the Italian outfit in all competitions.

An Argentina youth international, the 21-year-old looks to be an ascending young talent, and one who could develop into a top player over the coming years

However, with talk of his price tag potentially being north of £40m this summer, his underlying Serie A numbers may mean Everton chiefs would be wise to pause and reconsider.

How did Santiago Castro's numbers compare to Serie A rivals in 2025-26?

Everton have long been looking for their centre-forward of the future; a player that they can build their attack around and fire them to long-term success.

However, the Toffees have had a real tough time of that, and with yet another summer transfer window opening with them in the market for a striker, clearly, they've not been able to find that player yet.

So, there will undoubtedly be much excitement from supporters to see them linked with a young and progressive talent, who might just finally be the poster boy striker they've been hunting for.

Castro is a talent, of that there's no doubt, but as witnessed in a host of his underlying stats from last season, the Argentinian has a long way to go yet in his development.

He scored seven goals in 35 Serie A appearances for Bologna in 2025-26, this was despite playing in a side that delivered the third-most accurate crosses per game (4.7) in the Italian top flight last term, as per FotMob.

Meanwhile, Castro's 2.40 shots and 0.76 shots on target per 90 ranked him in the bottom 46.4 and 38.1 percentile of Serie A strikers last season.

His 11.3 successful passes, 0.61 successful dribbles and 4.26 touches in the opposition box per 90 placed him in the bottom 27.4, 47.6 and 40.5 percentiles respectively too.

Moyes also likes his attacking players to be big contributors in defence too, but Castro didn't provide that for Bologna last season.

Castro's 0.38 tackles and possessions won in the final third per game placed him in the bottom 20.2 and 33.3 per cent of his positional rivals.

On top of that, his 0.04 interceptions, 1.75 recoveries and 1.60 defensive contributions put him in the lower 19, 22.6 and 41.7 percentile respectively.

What is Castro's contract situation?

Having started his career in his native Argentina with Velez Sarsfield, Castro eventually joined Bologna in January 2024.

Wisely, Bologna were able to extend his contract in February of this year, evidently as a reward for his progression and in anticipation of growing transfer interest.

As a result, he's now contracted with the Italians until the summer of 2030, meaning Bologna hold all the cards when it comes to holding out for a premium price.

Castro could be the striker Everton are set on signing this summer, but there is some strong evidence to suggest he might not be ready for a big-money Premier League move just yet.