Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton were reportedly hoping to lure ex Liverpool man Luis Alberto back to the Premier League after a fine Serie A season with Lazio.
Everton target Luis Alberto has his heart set on staying at Lazio and, according to Sky Italia, he will even forego the option to include a release clause in his new contract with the Italian giants.
Four years after a promising Spanish playmaker was sold by Liverpool for a fee of around £4 million, reports from the continent have suggested that Alberto could be in line to make a shock return to Merseyside.
Corriere dello Sera claimed that none other than Everton were eyeing a summer deal that would leave their Stanley Park neighbours with a face as red as their shirt.
Alberto certainly feels like a rare example of one-that-got-away from the current Kings of the transfer market with the Spain international helping to turn Lazio into genuine Scudetto contenders with 14 assists to his name this season.
Calciomercato even claims that Alberto is valued at a staggering £70 million these days – a fee that would have required Everton to obliterate their transfer record.
Though it looks for all the world that The Toffees, despite the lure of Carlo Ancelotti, are on a hiding to nothing here with Alberto on the verge of agreeing a new three-year contract with Lazio, which will see his wages doubled to a healthy £50,000-a-week.
Furthermore, the one-time Sevilla and Barcelona youngster has no intention of demanding a release-clause – allowing Lazio’s penny-pinching owner Claudio Lotito to demand top dollar for arguably the most influential midfielders in Serie A.
Liverpool can breathe a sigh of relief. Alberto is not going to be an Everton player any time soon.
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