Everton must make transfer statement by beating Liverpool to Helder Costa

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The Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker looks likely to make the step up and both Liverpool and Everton have been linked.

We have seen it so many times before. Willian against Chelsea for Shakhtar, Ryan Taylor frequently for Wigan against Newcastle and, perhaps most famously of all, a teenage, blonde-tipped Cristiano Ronaldo for Sporting Lisbon against Manchester United in the summer of 2003.

If you are mulling over whether to make a move for one of your top targets, the man in question playing a blinder against you can prove an effective decision-making device. And, according to The Sun, Wolverhampton Wanderers wildcard Helder Costa is being eyed up by Liverpool just a month after sending them tumbling out of the FA Cup.

The Portuguese forward may not have graced the score sheet at Anfield but he was the architect behind one of the great cup upsets this side of the century, running Liverpool’s defence ragged and assisting both goals.

And despite only turning his loan deal into a permanent transfer for £13 million in January, there is a sense that Wolves knew Costa would not be at Molineux for long. You have to credit their recruitment, then, because a healthy profit could be on its way with The Sun claiming that the winger is keen on a move to the top flight.

However, rumours of an impending bid from Merseyside may just shake Everton into action.

HITC sources claimed that Liverpool’s Stanley Park neighbours were interested in signing the then-Benfica winger before Wolves completed their permanent deal but, with an ascension to the top flight beckoning, Everton could finally make a statement in the transfer market by beating their arch-rivals to the 23-year-old.

Thanks to majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, the Toffees can flex their new-found financial muscle and the prospect of Costa donning blue rather than red would make the Premier League sit up and take notice.

Furthermore, the departure of Gerard Deulofeu and Yannick Bolasie’s injury means Everton are in need of wingers. And Costa, as demonstrated in the FA Cup, is a big fish in need of a better sized pond.