Everton are reportedly ‘in contact’ with Chelsea over a deal for striker Armando Broja, who looks set to depart Stamford Bridge on a permanent deal.
The London club are looking to sell homegrown players to balance the books this summer and academy graduate Broja isn’t part of Enzo Maresca’s plans.
Everton were heavily linked with the Albanian international during the tenure of Frank Lampard and have now reignited their interest amid the uncertainty regarding the future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Newcastle and ironically, Chelsea have been linked with the Toffees’ number nine who will certainly need replacing if he is sold in the coming weeks.
According to transfer journalist Ben Jacobs, Everton are seriously interested in signing Broja but he will not be a cheap addition.
“Everton are pushing to sign Armando Broja. Club in daily contact with Chelsea with a £30m package discussed,” Jacobs posted on X.
“The Toffees are hoping for a quick breakthrough.”
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Broja has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea and admitted he was disappointed by the way he was treated by former Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The 22-year-old is considered to have plenty of potential but failed to make his mark after he joined Fulham on loan in January, failing to score in eight appearances under Marco Silva.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent Fraser Gillan that Everton are ‘pushing’ for a deal to be done imminently.
Everton must sell before they buy
As we have consistently reported, Everton will likely have to make at least one big sale before they’re able to sanction any major signings.
Jacobs claims that discussions are ongoing over a £30m deal for Broja which as things stand, is well out of the Toffees price range. Therefore, this suggests that they have a big sale already lined up.
Centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite remains one of Manchester United’s top targets and reports suggest that a fee of £75m could be enough to lure him away from Goodison Park.
The 21-year-old is a key reason why Everton statistically have the fourth-best defence in the Premier League and will be a huge loss for Sean Dyche if he does leave.
22-year-old midfielder Amadou Onana is also being targeted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe with Arsenal thought to be very interested in him, for example.
Branthwaite and Onana are considered Everton’s two most sellable assets and therefore it seems likely one will have to leave before they can sign Broja.
As mentioned, the Chelsea outcast has high potential and on paper, the pace, power and height (6ft3) to be perfect for Dyche’s system at Everton.
However, he has suffered with injuries throughout his short career and signing him for £30m does seem a risk for the Toffees given their ongoing financial struggles.
It will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming days as we know that Broja does have admirers behind the scenes at Goodison Park.