Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has issued an update on Everton and their pursuit of Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik.
The Poland international’s contract with the Naples club is set to expire at the end of June and Carlo Ancelotti’s side is said to be one of the club’s that are keeping an eye on the 26-year-old.
Milik has also been linked with a move to Serie A sides Juventus and Roma, as well as Everton’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, after confirming that Everton were interested in signing the Polish forward, who Napoli value at €15m (£13.52m), in the summer transfer window, Romano explained that with Atletico Madrid and Marseille also interested in the player, no potential buyer is willing to meet Napoli’s asking price for Milik at present, but as the club would need to sell him in this window to avoid losing him on a free transfer in the summer, the journalist indicated that they may accept “different conditions” later this month.
Romano said: “It was true that Everton were interested in Milik before the end of the last window but Napoli want €15 million to sell Arkadiusz Milik right now. So, Marseille and also Atletico Madrid were interested, but at the moment, the situation is that no one is offering €15 million, so the race is open.
“There is also the possibility that Milik is staying at Napoli, not playing, but joining another club as a free agent in the summer. At the moment, from Everton, there is nothing advanced yet so they are not going for Milik right now.
“Let’s see, in the last days of the window, you know, I expect some surprises in the last days just because these players that now, are not moving and are not receiving any right bids, in the last week, might receive something interesting and the club need to sell players so they can accept also different conditions.”
Would Milik be a good signing for Everton?
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TIF Thoughts on what Romano said about Milik and Everton…
So, while Everton are unwilling to pay the £13.52m that Napoli want for Milik, which may be understandable given how much time remains on his contract, it’s clear that the Merseyside club do have genuine interest in the 26-year-old and so, if Romano is right in suggesting that Napoli may lower their asking price for the player in the closing days of this transfer window, then that could hand the Toffees a big boost and give them a great opportunity to secure a potential bargain, with the player currently valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt.
Click here to see the full 30-minute video of Fabrizio Romano’s interview with Give Me Sport