Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto is looking increasingly likely to leave the club in the near future, and Everton are serious contenders for his signature.
That’s according to La Lazio Siamo Noi, who say Carlo Ancelotti is a big fan of the Spanish midfielder and tried to sign him for his former club Napoli.
Alberto has had a big falling out with the Italian side in recent weeks after publicly questioning their decision to buy a private jet.
Those comments have sparked fury higher up the club and LLSN state that talks between sporting director Igli Tare and the player’s entourage have ‘not served to brighten the horizon’.
Indeed, at this moment Lazio are ‘convinced’ that the only way forward is a sale, which is more likely to happen in the summer than January.
Alberto would love to return to Sevilla but they ‘cannot please Lazio economically’ as Lazio president Claudio Lotito wants €70m as that’s the release clause in his contract.
Lotito may decide to drop that to €50m, but even that would be out of Sevilla’s reach so he would have to look at other options and one of those are Everton.
That figure would be ‘more affordable’ for the Toffees, who have begun an ‘ambitious path’ and want to break into the upper reaches of the Premier League.
Carlo Ancelotti wants to shape his team in a 4-3-2-1 and wants another attacking midfielder to play alongside James Rodriguez behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Alberto would be ideal for that, with the Italian a big fan of the midfielder, who he would have liked to sign for Napoli as well. In fact, Everton would be willing to grant him his wish and ‘would be ready’ to put a first offer of €40m on the table.
There is, though, something of a catch as 30% of any fee that Lazio receive for the midfielder is due to be paid to former club, Liverpool.
Unless that figure is ‘re-discussed and liquidated’ about a third of the money from the sale would head to the other side of Stanley Park.
Thus there is work for all the interested parties to do and Lazio are ‘in no hurry’ as the player remains a key part of Simone Inzaghi’s plans for the time being.
They simply plan to let the transfer market run its course and see what happens, with Juventus also thought to be monitoring the situation.
