Everton have recently been linked with a move for Yeferson Soteldo, with Santos President Jose Carlos Peres telling Calciomercato that the Toffees and Inter Milan are among a number of clubs keen to sign the 22-year-old.
Peres says suitors will have to pay €35m (£32m) to procure Soteldo’s signature. The Toffees may have to pay in excess of the Brazilian Serie A’s salary average €0.55m-a-year (£0.5m-a-year) to lure Soteldo to Goodison Park – more than affordable for a player who was in fantastic form in 2019.
Despite Carlo Ancelotti having Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott and Bernard at his disposal, he’s still on the hunt for a wide forward. Walcott’s contract expires in 2021, so Soteldo may be a long-term replacement for him. His goal output is certainly hard to ignore.
Since joining from Huachipato FC for a reported £2.75m in January 2019, the Venezuelan international has made 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and making five assists.
Soteldo has created 54 chances, completed 77.1% of his 704 passes, won nine aerial duels (37.5%), made 120 successful dribbles (57.4%), had 68 shots with 38% accuracy, has drawn 48 fouls, made eight interceptions, whipped in 78 crosses with 18% accuracy and made 28 tackles, per WhoScored data. He’s highly creative on the ball and frequently tries to take on his opposite marker.
It remains to be seen if Everton can beat out interest from Inter among others for Soteldo, but the 22-year-old looks worth the effort. He made an immediate impact in Brazil and would have a number of Spanish speakers that could help settle him in quicker – Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes and Bernard.