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Everton need to offload a midfielder before they can sign Matheus Nunes from Sporting, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness).
The lowdown
According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Everton are ‘very much constrained’ by Financial Fair Play rules in this summer’s transfer window after years of ‘significant losses’.
They’ve been left with ‘next to no wiggle room’ in terms of their net spend.
The Blues have spent a mere £1.8million so far, meeting Bayer Leverkusen’s demands for Demarai Gray. They have also recruited Andros Townsend and Asmir Begovic on free transfers.
Nunes is a 22-year-old central midfielder who made 12 starts and 19 substitute appearances for last season’s Primeira Liga champions. He scored three goals and provided two assists (via WhoScored).
The Brazilian has been described as ‘impossible to catch’ and ‘unbelievable’ with the ball at his feet (via Liverpool Echo).
The latest
The report says that Everton retain an interest in Nunes but are still awaiting the green light to proceed with the signing.
They have placed James Rodriguez, Andre Gomes and Fabian Delph ‘on the market’ in an attempt to facilitate the deal.
The verdict
If you scanned Everton’s squad for deadwood that could still fetch a reasonable fee, Gomes and Delph are probably two of the players you’d pick out.
The team would suffer far more from the loss of Rodriguez, but the player’s recent comments have raised serious questions over his commitment to the cause too.
Everton need quality additions like Nunes in the next three weeks if they’re to be a factor in the race for Europe, and it looks like difficult decisions will have to be made with regards to outgoings first.
In other news, Rafael Benitez is eyeing this defensive reinforcement.
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