Everton’s Premier League rebuilding project could see them turn to Brentford’s Kristoffer Ajer while Sergio Gomez of Anderlecht is another target, as reported by The Athletic.
The Toffees may have staved off the threat of relegation thanks to the most dramatic of comeback wins over Crystal Palace but all the euphoria, all that relief, should not distract from the challenge facing Frank Lampard, Kevin Thelwell and co ahead of what could be the most important summer in a generation at Goodison Park.
Everton are under serious pressure to not only bring in a host of new players but also to find buyers for so many under-performing, over-paid Merseyside misfits, all the while staying within the restrictive boundaries of Financial Fair Play.
Everton like Brentford’s Kristoffer Ajer
That is why, per The Athletic, a potential deal for Norway international Ajer may be something of a non-starter.
His price-tag, the report says, could be ‘prohibitive’. Brentford paid a club-record £13.5 million for the former Celtic man 10 months ago and his market value will have risen considerably on the back of an impressive, if injury hit, debut season in the Premier League.
You can see why Everton like Ajer. Tall and rangy yet technically-gifted and versatile, the 6ft 6ins man mountain can play as a centre-half or a right-back, in a flat-back four or a three-man defence.
Lampard needs reinforcements in the middle and on the right. And, in that sense, Ajer feels like a classic case of killing two birds with one stone.
Spain U21 ace Gomez is another player on Everton’s radar but he feels even less likely than Ajer at this stage. The former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund man plays on the left rather than the right, and the recent £19 million addition of Vitaliy Mykolenko means Everton’s transfer funds would be better spent elsewhere.
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The Toffees are keen on James Tarkowski of relegated Burnley. Their hopes were handed a major boost after Aston Villa completed the £26 million signing of Diego Carlos from Sevilla.
Lampard reportedly plans to utilise his Chelsea connections to bring in Conor Gallagher too.
Red Bull Bragantino enforcer Eric Ramires is another potential option.
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