£17 million Serie A veteran Marko Arnautovic is Everton’s ‘number one’ transfer target with the former West Ham United striker lined up for a return to the Premier League, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
Forget Panic on the Streets of London, there was Fury on the Roads of Salford when the reports filtered through suggesting that Arnautovic could have been his way to Old Trafford over the summer (The Guardian).
But, with Everton joint-bottom of the table and staring down the barrel of a first relegation since 1951, it’s unlikely that the Toffees’ own interest will elicit such a reaction.
Beggars, as they say, are in no position to be picky. Arnautovic turns 34 in April. But he is more reliable, in-form centre-forward than any of the players currently at Goodison Park. The late-blooming Austrian has eight goals in just 14 Serie A starts for Bologna, and is proven in the Premier League following spells at West Ham and Stoke City.
Everton want Marko Arnautovic from Bologna
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Arnautovic is Everton’s number one target this month. The Toffees have been forced to tighten the purse strings amid lingering Financial Fair Play fears, but the sale of Anthony Gordon to Newcastle will give Everton some money to play with before next week’s transfer deadline.
Bologna stood firm when Man United came calling, however. And the Rossoblu will not let Arnautovic go without a serious fight this month either. The one-time Inter Milan youngster should cost around £17 million. A colossal fee for a mid-30s striker with little-to-no re-sale value.
“He’s really fast. Powerful. A top player,” legendary Everton coach David Moyes said of Arnautovic during their time together at the London Stadium (talkSPORT). “I think he could play for any of the top teams because of what he’s got.
“He just needs some tough love. At times, he’s a strange character, but a good boy.”
Everton reportedly like Lyon’s Moussa Dembele, Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata and Werder Bremen’s Germany international targetman Niklas Fullkrug. Arnautovic is the oldest and potentially the most expensive of any of the club’s striker targets.
“Manchester United looked for me several times,” Arnautovic tells Laola1. “And it was a difficult decision to stay in Italy, because my family wanted to return to England. It is clear to me that the Red Devils remain at the top of the universe. And Bologna, as a name, is not. But that’s okay.
“Everything is calm here. You have time for yourself and no stress. This is only good for me”.
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