Everton are reportedly looking at securing a potential transfer deal for Atletico Madrid defender Felipe Monteiro this month according to journalist Dominic King.
The Merseyside club have also been linked with a move for Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga in recent weeks,
With the January window in full flow and Everton still facing problems on the pitch in terms of their league form, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding potential transfer targets.
In a recent Twitter post, King had this to say on the matter.
He said: “Aside from exploring a deal for Anthony Elanga, Everton are also looking at Felipe Monteiro; he’s got 6 months remaining on his contract with Atletico Madrid. Wolves also keen on the Brazilian central defender.”
After making 142 appearances for his previous club Porto, during which he scored 11 goals and delivered six assists, the Brazilian joined Atletico back in the 2019 summer transfer window.
Since then, the 33-year-old has featured 112 times for the Spanish club, chipping in with four goals and one assist along the way.
Having only made three appearances for Diego Simeone’s side this season, it’s apparent that the veteran is not at the top of the pecking order at Atletico.
Do Everton need to make a move for Felipe this month?
Yes
No
Despite losing the three games he’s played in this season, his latest La Liga performance in Atletico’s 1-0 defeat against Mallorca showed just what he’s capable of.
Specifically, throughout the 90 minutes, Felipe managed to make four clearances in total as well as making two blocks and one tackle.
In addition to that, drew three fouls and won nine of the 15 duels he was involved in, as well as racking up the second-highest passing accuracy percentage of any outfield Atletico player (90%).
This performance ultimately earned the centre-back a solid match rating of 7.2/10 from SofaScore, making him the second-highest rated Atletico player on the day, highlighting how impressive he can be at the back.
Regardless of his lack of regular playing time this season and his unfortunate results record, securing a deal for the £128k-per-week defender could be a smart bit of business from Everton, especially if he’s able to make the team stronger defensively.