We love a random, out of the blue transfer rumour here at Sport Witness and Branislav Ivanović to Everton fits the bill perfectly.
The Toffees are expected to have a big summer this year, with Carlo Ancelotti and Marcel Brands planning a quiet revolution after a disappointing season.
Ancelotti has reportedly been promised funds, and the Italian coach has made it very clear he wants to add quality and transform the squad he inherited from Marco Silva.
We, therefore, did not expect a 36-year-old defender to be the first player that Everton would be linked with this summer. Yet, according to several sources in Serbia, a move is very much on the cards.
First, there is Novosti. They report that Ivanović, who is leaving Zenit St Petersburg, has turned down the opportunity to play for Red Star Belgrade.
That is because he has been presented with the chance to ‘continue his career’ at Everton, with negotiations said to be in the ‘final phase’.
They explain Ancelotti, who worked with Ivanović at Chelsea, wants to add a ‘strong and hardened ace’ to his current squad.
Zurnal cover the player’s future too and say, unlike Novosti, that Red Star is one of the options for him, although he will have to reduce his wages drastically should he return to his homeland.
Either way, Ivanović ‘does not intend’ to retire at this point and Red Star are not his only option as he could ‘continue his career’ at Everton.
They say that the Blues have a ‘trump card’ in Carlo Ancelotti as the Italian manager ‘pushed Ivanović towards the stars’.
The defender ‘would like’ the transfer to Goodison Park because he has his eye on life after football and ‘intends’ to stay in England once his playing days are over. Thus a move to Merseyside would make sense.
Finally, Informer have details on Ivanović’s future too. They don’t mention Everton explicitly, but there is plenty of hints that a club other than Red Star are interested.
They say the only way Ivanović will end up at the Serbian club this summer is if they qualify for the Champions League proper, after going through the three qualifying rounds.
However, that will only happen is if ‘he does not find a club by then’ a source close to the situation has claimed.
Similarly, Informer argues that ‘it is clear that there is still an option to go somewhere for much more money’ than what Red Star can offer.
That could be a Premier League side, say, Everton, financed by a billionaire banker who has promised his manager plenty of funds this summer, couldn’t it?
That’s purely speculation on our part, to be clear, but with two sources claiming Everton are interested and a third pretty much ruling out Red Star, Ivanović moving to Goodison Park may not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
