According to ESPN Brasil journalist Jorge Nicola, Palmeiras ‘refused’ a €15m (£12m) ‘proposal’ from Everton from Gabriel Veron and ‘will only sell’ the 17-year-old for €30m. ESPN add that Toffees may have to battle Arsenal and Barcelona for his signature this summer.
Veron broke into Palmeiras’ first-team in 2019 and has gone on to make four appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and making one assist. The centre-forward has also represented Brazil at U17 level on 16 occasions, scoring five goals.
Under Marcel Brands, Everton have been looking to lower the average age of their squad and have been looking for the next generation of attacking talent – Joe Hugill, Joe Gelhardt and Anthony Weston are all teenage strikers on the Blues’ radar.
Giving playing time to young players has been important too – Lewis Gibson (aged 19), Anthony Gordon (19), Moise Kean (20) and Joao Virginia (20) have been in the matchday squad 43 times this season and amassed 928 minutes of football between them, as per Transfermarkt.
Whether Everton will beat out Arsenal and Barcelona to procure Veron’s signature remains to be seen, but the fact they allegedly offered €15m for such a young talent highlights a big shift in policy.