Marcel Brands appears to have worked his magic once again, as Sport understand a deal to see Andre Gomes return to Everton is on the verge of competition.
West Ham United had been keen to sign the 25-year-old themselves following his year on loan with us, and could yet still launch a last-ditch effort to scupper our plans, but Sport claim FC Barcelona are finalising the terms of Gomes’ permanent move to Goodison Park and that he only has playing for the Toffees again in his thoughts.
The deal is thought to have accelerated over the last few days, as the midfielder’s representatives flew out to Catalunya in order to smooth out the finer details of the agreement, after we agreed to meet the La Liga champion’s €30million (£26.7m) valuation.
Manager Ernesto Valverde is happy to see Gomes move on in the summer after wrapping up an early deal to bring Frenkie de Jong to the Camp Nou, and an announcement of our new signing could be made in the next few days.
Football Insider believe Gomes will sign a £120,000-a-week contract when his transfer is finalised, which will make the Portuguese our joint-highest earner alongside fellow Barca outcast Yerry Mina and 2018 arrival Bernard.
The length of the contract has not yet been noted, but Mina and Lucas Digne both signed five-year deals upon their arrival last summer, while Bernard’s runs until the summer of 2022, so it would be likely that Gomes likewise signs a four or five-year deal.