According to Wayne Veysey of the Football Insider, Everton may have to pay £53m to complete a deal for Andre Gomes. The Barcelona midfielder looks set to turn his loan deal permanent this summer for £22m, but the Toffees will be shelling out £120k-per-week/£6.24m-a-year until 2024 and may have to pay Barca a further £9m in performance-related bonuses.
That’s not to say Gomes isn’t worth the outlay. The 25-year-old has been outstanding since joining Everton last summer. He made 29 appearances in all competitions in 2018/19, scoring and creating two goals, averaging 45 passes-per-game with 85% accuracy, making 41 successful dribbles (73%) and averaging a tackle (39) or interception (20) every 34 minutes.
Gomes fell out of favour at Barcelona due to poor form and stiff competition for a starting place – Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, Sergio Busquets, Arthur, Carles Alena, Rafinha – but he’s turned things around at Goodison Park. Everton had to beat out Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United to procure his signature on a permanent basis.
The Toffees finished eighth in the Premier League last season and want to push for a top-six spot in 2019/20. With Gomes’ signing all but secured, they stand a good chance of challenging the big-six clubs.