OPINION
Everton have surely been handed a big boost to their hopes of keeping Andre Gomes after it was reported that Tottenham have backed out of the race to sign the Barcelona midfielder.
According to the Daily Mail, Spurs are no longer interested in the 25-year-old, leaving Everton and West Ham among themselves to battle it out for the Portugal international’s signature this summer.
It is understood that the Hammers have made the first move for Gomes by tabling an £18million bid, which has since been rejected by Barcelona as it failed to meet their £30million valuation.
However the Mail now reports that Everton are expected to make their own swoop for Gomes, who impressed while on loan at Goodison Park this season.
Gomes made 29 appearances across all competitions for the Toffees this term and quickly established himself as a fan favourite on Merseyside with some top displays in the centre of the midfield.
According to stats by WhoScored, the former Valencia midfielder completed 84.8 per cent of his passes, a number only bettered by Morgan Schneiderlin who didn’t play anywhere near as many games.
He also completed 39 tackles in the Premier League – more than Kurt Zouma – to show that he also has the ability to bring out the defensive side to his game.
It is clear that Gomes would be a super signing for Marco Silva this summer, and now that Tottenham are out of the way and West Ham have been rejected, there’s surely a huge opportunity for the Blues to press on and deal a permanent deal for their 2018/19 loan star.