Despite having Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Moise Kean, Cenk Tosun and Sandro Ramirez, Everton are looking to sign another striker before the transfer window closes. Tosun & Sandro are surplus to requirements and Kean is coming off the back of a disappointing debut season, so we could benefit from bolstering our attack.
We’ve been linked with Callum Wilson, Emmanuel Dennis, Odsonne Edouard, Patrik Schick, Hee-chan Hwang, Hirving Lozano, Martin Braithwaite, Andrea Belotti, Sardar Azmoun and Victor Osimhen this summer, but Arkadiusz Milik is the latest name to pop back up on our radar.
Tottenham appeared to be leading the race for the Napoli striker’s signature, but Calciomercato say we may be planning to snatch him away from the Lilywhites.
How good is Milik?
Pretty good. Since joining Napoli from Ajax in 2016, Milik has gone on to make 122 appearances in all competitions, scoring 48 goals with five assists. After an injury-hit two years, the 26-year-old has been a regular in the last two seasons, contributing double figures for goals.
Last season, Milik scored 14 goals in 35 games across the board, creating 21 chances, winning 37 aerial duels (50%), taking 68 shots with 42.6% hitting the target, making 12 clearances, completing 82.3% of his 463 passes and making 12 tackles.
The Pole’s goal ratio in Serie A (159.2 minutes per goal) was better than Calvert-Lewin (202.3) and Richarlison (237) last season, so he’d improve our squad.
Is he available?
Yes. Milik has one year remaining on his deal in Italy and refused a contract extension, so Napoli will have to cash in this summer while he still has value. Calciomercato believe the Serie A giants would accept a loan-to-buy deal, but it’s still early days.
Napoli paid £28.8m for the 26-year-old, which is what Transfermarkt say his valuation is now. CIES Football Observatory believe he’s worth €20m-€30m (£18.25m-£27.4m). Milik’s asking price may be around €30m-€35m (£27.4m-£31.9m) while his wage demands could set us back €4m-a-year/€77k-per-week (£3.65m-a-year/£70k-per-week).
Calvert-Lewin has five goals in three Premier League games this season, so he’s unlikely to be dropped. Whether Milik would be happy playing second fiddle remains to be seen, however, as he’s used to being a regular at Napoli.
In other news, Everton are interested in Ben Godfrey as Fulham’s transfer bid is rejected