Everton are reportedly ready to launch an ambitious bid to beat La Liga giants Barcelona to Brazilian international midfielder Lucas Lima.
The summer of 2017 could well go down in history as the moment when Everton announced themselves as a major player in English football.
Spending £54 million on Jordan Pickford and Davy Klaassen, claims that The Toffees bark was worse than their bite have already been washed away. With majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri pumping unprecedented funds into Goodison Park, it appears that Everton’s Champions League ambitious aren’t too outlandish after all.
Yet, signing the goalkeeper from relegated Sunderland and the captain of Ajax, these days a feeder club for Europe’s bigger leagues, is one thing. Beating Barcelona to the signature of a Brazil international is another entirely.
Lucas Lima has shone for Brazil
According to Mundo Deportivo, Everton are hoping to muscle in on Barcelona’s pursuit of Santos attacking midfielder Lucas Lima. This is despite Fox Sports claiming that the La Liga giants had a deal in place to sign the 26-year-old on a free when his contract expires at the end of the Brazilian league season in December.
Watershed moment
Lima, a 14-time international hoping to earn a place in Brazil’s 2018 World Cup squad, has been tipped to replace the evergreen Andres Iniesta in Ernesto Valverde’s new-look Barcelona.
“I hope everything works out. Besides being a good friend of mine, he’s a great player,” Blaugrana forward and fellow Brazil star Neymar told ESPN.
“If it works out and he joins Barcelona, he’d be received with open arms and I’m sure he’d be able to bring joy to the club.”
Neymar described Lima as a ‘great player’ – need we say more?
Needless to say, then, it would be a major statement of intent if Lima instead rocked up at Goodison Park and posed in royal blue.
With his contract entering its final months, signing Lima would not help Everton flex their new-found financial muscles. But it would confirm that they are a club on the up, capable of competing with the very best in the transfer market.
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