While the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti has seen Everton turn their season around quite considerably, one area the Italian manager hasn’t been able to fully correct is Jordan Pickford’s mistakes.
The England international has had a fairly forgettable season so far, which has led to a bit of speculation surrounding his future at the club.
We’ve already had a story in Italy claiming Everton were looking at Lazio’s Thomas Strakosha, and now, it’s Gianluigi Donnarumma’s turn to be linked with a move to Goodison Park.
Why? Because there are few other clubs in the Premier League that need him, since Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool (sides who could want him) already have first-team goalkeepers they trust.
Gazzetta dello Sport have a big two page article on the Milan shot stopper’s future, and following his Instagram post showing he was learning English during his quarantine, the belief is he will go.
Their front page is plastered with ‘Gigio Oh Yes’, while the exposé on his situation is filled with ‘Goodbye Milan’ and ‘Do you speak English?’, leaving little to the imagination.
One of the main reasons behind all this is the Serie A club’s attempts to restart their project, which includes lowering their wage budget.
His current deal expires in 2021, and with a reluctance to increase his current wage, there are few avenues left for Milan to explore other than touting him on the market.
At what price, we hear you ask? Well, his value last summer was around €50m, but with another 12 months going by and the current market up in the air, Gazzetta believe a deal could be done at €20-25m, as even if Milan try and get a higher price, they also run the risk of losing him for nothing the following year.
Now, unless the Manchester clubs sell David De Gea or Ederson, he won’t be going there, and we all know how much Alisson means to Liverpool, so the Italian newspaper reckon Everton and Paris Saint-Germain seem to be other potential landing spots.
Donnarumma would be the perfect replacement for Keylor Navas, who isn’t getting any younger, but with Everton ‘aiming high’ under Ancelotti, signing the young Italian would be ‘another sign of ambition’.
What helps is also the fact Mino Raiola is his agent, and with a successful deal sorted out for Moise Kean last summer, ‘there is a feeling’ between the representative and the Goodison Park brass.
It’s still very early stages and they would have to get rid of Pickford, but it makes sense, especially if Everton continue their decent form (4-0 drubbing against Chelsea aside) whenever the season resumes.
