Everton are reportedly looking for a new striker to provide competition for Romelu Lukaku.
Everton have suffered a blow in their reported pursuit of Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic, with the club’s owner’s admission that the Croatian international hitman has a €50 million (£42 million) buy-out clause written into his contract, as quoted by talkSPORT.
The Toffees were interested in bringing Kalinic to Goodison Park in the summer, with respected Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that they had a £21 million bid rejected for the former Blackburn Rovers man.
Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic
And now the Fiorentina owner Andrea Della Vale has told Italian reporters how highly regarded the Croatian is in Florence, in what was basically a hands-off warning to any potentially interested parties, as quoted by talkSPORT:
“Kalinic is a champion. Players like him make the difference in any team, and we’ve tied him down with a clause of €50m (£42m).”
Croatia’s Nikola Kalinic celebrates
The 28-year-old moved to Fiorentina in August 2015, and has since gone on to establish himself as a regular first-team starter for La Viola, scoring 25 goals in 62 outings for the Serie A side.
And Everton will now seemingly have to look elsewhere, as they look to bring in stern competition for Romelu Lukaku, who they have become way too reliant upon over the past two years.
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