OPINION
Everton fans should be thrilled with the news that Andre Gomes has reportedly “paved the way” to completing a permanent switch to Goodison Park.
According to the Mirror, the 25-year-old has snubbed interest from West Ham and Tottenham’s interest in him as dwindled, leaving the Portugal international to tell the Toffees that he wants to join them from Barcelona.
Gomes was snapped up on a season-long loan by Marco Silva last summer and after 29 appearances in all competitions, the playmaker endeared himself towards the Goodison faithful and clearly fell in love with the Merseyside club now that he is keen on a permanent switch from Barca.
It is now understood that the latest development from Gomes means that a £20million transfer is now well and truly on the cards, which is massive news for Evertonians.
Gomes was fantastic for Everton last season.
According to stats by WhoScored, the Portuguese playmaker completed 84.8 per cent of his passes, a figure only better by Morgan Schneiderlin.
He averaged 44.4 passes per match and only goalkeeper Jordan Pickford completed more successful long-balls than the Barcelona player [3.5].
Gomes has a superb range of passing and clearly is someone who wants to join Everton, so once he is a permanent player on the books at Goodison Park, fans should really expect his performances to get a lot better.
If Everton fail to sign Gomes then Silva and Marcel Brands will have one massive job on their hands to fill the void that would be left by the former Valencia midfielder.
Luckily, all the signs are pointing towards the Blues snapped up Gomes at some point before next season kicks off.