Everton ‘really close’ to signing striker in ‘€30m deal’ as defender move ‘completed’

Everton are ‘really close’ to completing a €30m plus add-ons deal for Udinese forward Beto according to reports coming out of Italy.

The striker has been linked with a switch to Goodison Park since January with the player said to be training alone as he waits to see if the Toffees can come to an agreement with Udinese.

Everton have already had a bid of £21m knocked back as Udinese hold out for just under £26m. Beto has a release clause of £30m but Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio claims a deal worth €30m plus add ons is ‘really close’.

Beto has made two appearances for Udinese this term, scoring once and providing one assist. He claimed 10 goals and two assists in 34 Serie A games last term as his side ended the campaign in 12th place.

He will provide some much-needed support in the Everton attack with the Toffees seeking their first win of the season after suffering defeats to Fulham and Aston Villa.

Arnaut Danjuma, Jack Harrison and Youssef Chermiti have joined the club this summer but the trio have failed to start yet. Harrison is unlikely to be fit until next month while Dwight McNeil is also sidelined.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was forced off against Aston Villa last weekend following a clash with Emi Martinez. Everton have also been linked with moves for Southampton’s Che Adams this summer and Leeds United’s Willy Gnonto.

A deal for the latter appears all but dead in the water with Gnonto previously training away from the first team at Leeds but this week he was welcomed back into the fold and appears willing to play for the Elland Road club again.

Speaking earlier this week on why a deal for Adams has not been completed, a frustrated Sean Dyche said: “You know why we haven’t signed him. They don’t come cheap, we need to find ways to construct deals that the club, player and agents can agree with, we’ve always had to work hard in the market.

“Regarding players, we know we need to work hard in the market to create deals to make it happen, we don’t have pots of gold to make it happen. The guidelines are laid down a while ago, it changes if we sell players, or there’s players out of contract or with any signings we do make - we need it clear at the end of last season, there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Udinese appear to be preparing for life without Beto with reports they are seeking to sign Brazilian striker Kaio Jorge on loan from Juventus with Fabrizio Romano reporting a deal is at an advanced stage.

In other news, Everton defender Mason Holgate has completed a loan move to Championship side Southampton for the duration of the 2023-24 season.

A club statement confirmed: “Mason Holgate has completed a loan move to Southampton for the 2023/24 season. The 26-year-old defender joins the Championship club for the remainder of the campaign, having made 149 appearances during his eight years with the Blues.

“Holgate, who signed for Everton from Barnsley in August 2015, previously spent the second half of the 2018/19 season on loan at West Bromwich Albion in the Championship.”