Everton have reportedly made contact with Sporting CP to enquire about Seydou Doumbia’s situation at the Portuguese club.
As reported by newspaper O Jogo today, the Toffees wanted to know the details of his contract because he’s officialy on a loan deal from Roma.
But Doumbia is indeed a Sporting player, since the loan included an obligatory purchase clause to be triggered when he made his first appearance, which has already happened.
So Everton were told that the loan was just a formality. The striker now has a contract with Sporting running until 2020, and as usual, already has a huge release clause of €60m.
The Portuguese side didn’t pay much to land him. It was €7.2m in total, being €3.5m for the transfer, €3m for signing bonuses and €700k for intermediaries. The player’s salary is said to be of €1.8m net per season.
Doumbia has been having a good start for Sporting. He left the fancy striker Bas Dost on the bench in the two Champions League away games this season, and in both times he started, he scored, having also picked up an assist against Olympiacos.
The 29-year-old also has brief Premier League experience, as he spent a few months on loan at Newcastle United, but only managed to play 29 minutes for the club, so it was impossible for him to show off his abilities.
O Jogo doesn’t say what was Everton’s reaction to all those figures, but at least the Toffees now have an idea that it won’t be any easy to get him.