Everton are now interested in rivalling Leicester City and Wolves to sign Inter Milan striker Edin Dzeko over the summer, who boss Frank Lampard once praised amid links to Chelsea.
That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who cite the trio of Premier League clubs as likely suitors from England. Napoli and newly-promoted Monza would also be eager to explore a move to keep the veteran attacker in Serie A should he depart the San Siro this off-season.
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Some German outfits are also weighing up presenting Dzeko with an opportunity to return to the Bundesliga. He enjoyed a four-year stint with Wolfsburg from 2007 to 2011 before a £27m transfer to Manchester City, where he helped win the top-flight title in 2012 and ‘14.
Dzeko struck 50 goals and laid on 23 assists over his 130 Premier League appearances with Manchester City. His goals then led to a move to Roma in 2016 following an initial season-long loan. While the 124-cap Bosnia and Herzegovina captain joined Inter Milan in 2021.
Inter Milan open to Edin Dzeko summer sale amid fresh Everton interest
Inter Milan awarded Dzeko a €5.5m-a-year (£89.5k-a/w) wage to join the Serie A side from Roma last summer. The Nerazzurri considered the forward to be a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, having sold the Belgian to Chelsea for £97.5m – a club-record outlay for the Blues.
Yet as Lukaku has now returned to the San Siro on loan for the season in a £7m deal, head coach Simone Inzaghi is ready to let Dzeko leave. But the Bosnia and Herzegovina icon has rejected a move to Juventus, per Alfredo Pedulla, after the Bianconeri submitted an offer.
Reports by TuttoMercatoWEB also note Dzeko has no interest in joining West Ham United. The Irons and La Liga side Valencia emerged as potential landing spots for the 36-year-old during June. He ignored their pursuits as the striker left Roma to win Serie A at Inter Milan.
Frank Lampard once praised Edin Dzeko among links with Chelsea
Now, Everton are among the latest sides interested in signing Dzeko from Inter Milan with Wolves, Leicester, Monza and Napoli. A move to take the forward to Goodison Park would also see him play under Lampard, who hailed the attacker amid links with Chelsea in 2018.
“[Andy] Carroll and [Peter] Crouch are not the kind of names Chelsea have gone for in the past,” he told the Evening Standard. “But January is a tough one and [Alexis] Sanchez [to Manchester United from Arsenal] is a one-off.
“The majority of the time you’re looking at making minor adjustments. If it’s a Crouch or Carroll, it’s just a back-up, but Dzeko is something different. He is a very good player, an all-round striker with all the attributes. He can hold the ball up.”
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