Everton have been offered the chance to bring Wendel to the Premier League two years after Zenit St Petersburg beat them to the £18 million midfielder, as reported by Coluna do Fla.
Though Everton’s interest in the 24-year-old Brazilian has never been officially confirmed, they do say that there’s no smoke without fire. According to reports, The Toffees offered Wendel a five-year deal at Goodison Park back in 2020, with then-head coach Carlo Ancelotti holding talks over the phone.
What’s more, Everton allegedly submitted a bid in the region of £14 million.
Now, two years after missing out to the perennial Russian champions, Everton may have been handed a second chance to bring in an all-action, deep-lying midfielder who – at least in theory – would represent an upgrade on the injury-prone Fabian Delph and the underwhelming Allan.
Could Everton finally sign Zenit’s Wendel?
According to Coluna do Fla, Wendel’s agent, Fransergio Ferreira, has offered the former Sporting Lisbon youngster to Everton. Napoli are also being offered the chance to sign the one-time Fluminense man; An opportunity they look set to reject.
“Is Wendel of interest to Napoli? It is not true,” says sporting director Cristiano Guintoli (Sport24). “Now his transfer to our club is impossible.”
The report does add that, given the opportunity, Wendel would prefer a return to his native Brazil. Flamengo is his dream destination, although negotiations between club and player have already hit the buffers. Furthermore, Flamengo completed the signing of veteran Arturo Vidal recently.
Whatever happens, Zenit are not going to let Wendel go without a fight.
“We are not considering the option of letting Wendel leave this summer,” says Zenit CEO Alexander Medvedev.
Just to add to the confusion, Wendel seemed to commit his future to the St Petersburg outfit a couple of weeks ago.
“I’m not going anywhere, that’s for sure,” he said in May. “I will go on vacation to Brazil, gain strength and return to St. Petersburg to prepare for the next season.
“Will I definitely play for Zenit next season? Yes.”
So, either things have changed behind the scenes, or Wendel’s agent is barking up the wrong tree offering his client around Europe.
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