According to Fabrizio Romano, Everton manager Frank Lampard is a big fan of Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja, who could be used in a deal that sees Anthony Gordon leave the club.
After selling Richarlison and losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to injury during the summer, it is understandable why the Toffees are reluctant to sell 21-year-old Gordon.
They reportedly rejected an offer of around £40-45m from Chelsea for their youngster and are not prepared to accept a proposal of £60m according to Romano, despite the fact Gordon has stated his desire to sign for Chelsea.
However, it is understood Everton and Lampard are fans of Blues duo Broja and Gallagher, who could be used by the west London club to soften the blow of Everton losing yet another key first-team player.
Romano told the Que Golazo podcast: “He [Gordon] really wants a Chelsea move, he has an agreement with Chelsea on a six-year deal. He feels this is an incredible opportunity for him to go to Chelsea. [He is] super young, and so to have this opportunity right now is something really huge. At the moment, still no agreement with Everton.
“Frank Lampard was so clear they want a quick solution for this story – so to reach an agreement soon or to keep the player. Everton are still not accepting £60m, add-ons included. Maybe the add-ons structure could be important to understand if they can find an agreement, or maybe to include some players because we know that Frank Lampard is a big fan of many of the young talents at Chelsea like Gallagher or Armando Broja.
“So let’s see if they can find a way with some player included, but as of now, it’s still under discussion between the two clubs and the player is pushing. Gordon would love to join Chelsea and he will be respectful with Everton.”
TIF Thoughts on the Gordon deal…
While losing Gordon will be a blow to Everton, not accepting a £60m bid for a player who is arguably not worth that money may be a huge mistake from the Toffees.
There is no doubt that Gordon is talented, but to essentially say he is worth more than £60m would be a huge oversight from the club, in our view. He is a winger who currently ranks in the 29th percentile for non-penalty goals, in the 11th for assists and in the 33rd for shot-creating actions, which, if not obvious, is awful for a player at that price.
This would be especially egregious to reject if they are able to bring in one of Gallagher or Broja in the process, as both could have an immediate impact on their squad and could help them climb their way up the table and avoid another relegation battle.
Broja brings depth and Premier League-proven ability to their striker position with Calvert-Lewin out, while Gallagher has shown himself to be one of the best young central midfielders after his incredible season at Crystal Palace where he earned himself an England call-up.
Both would be huge pick-ups, but with the rumoured interest of Newcastle United in Broja and reports that Palace are potential frontrunners if Gallagher is made available, they will need to move quickly, no matter how much losing Gordon might hurt.
Should Eveton sell Gordon for £60m?YesNo |