Reported Everton target Salvatore Sirigu is ‘important’ to Torino’s plans going forward and has not told the Serie A outfit that he wants to leave this summer, sporting director Davide Vanati has told Tuttomercatoweb.
With Jordan Pickford looking more like Espen Baardsen than Neville Southall these days, the Toffees have apparently identified an experienced Italian international as the man to put pressure on their butterfingered ‘number one’.
Calciomercato reported last month that Everton had expressed an interest in 33-year-old Sirigu.
Carlo Ancelotti wanted the evergreen shot-stopper at Napoli last year and, despite swapping the Estadio San Paolo for Stanley Park in the meantime, his admiration for Sirigu remains unchanged.
But after the former PSG ‘stopper rolled back the years to save an underachieving Torino side from relegation last season, La Granata have no intention of cashing in on a goalkeeper at the peak of his powers.
“Sirigu is important for us, he proved it (last season),” Vagnati says.
“We have to meet up, we will see each other today. Did he ask to be sold? I was not told (that he wanted to go).
“Salvatore is a real man and if he has to tell me something he will tell me.”
Given that Sirigu is under contract until 2022, Torino have no real need to cash in on a man who won four Ligue 1 titles while making almost 200 appearances for PSG.
But, with Maarten Stekelenburg leaving Goodison Park to warm the bench at Ajax instead, it remains to be seen who will challenge the under-fire Pickford for his starting place next season.
Jonas Lossl was farmed out to Huddersfield Town in January and, while Joao Virginia is highly-regarded at Finch Farm, he struggled badly during an error-strewn loan spell at Reading last year.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
