With no goals scored in 270 minutes of Premier League action, it’s really no surprise whatsoever that Everton have been heavily pursuing striking options. In a move that has been long overdue for at least a couple of transfer windows, the Toffees are close to sealing a striker addition now.
Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal, also known as Beto, is currently on Merseyside undergoing a medical having been given permission to travel by Udinese in Serie A after the two clubs hashed out a deal yesterday even as the Blues slipped to a third consecutive defeat without scoring, a record poorest ever start to a top flight campaign for the storied club.
The 25-year-old Lisbon-born player had already agreed personal terms with Everton a few days ago as the two clubs entered negotiations with the backdrop of yesterday’s game. Per a number of media sources this morning, the Toffees will not have to pay anything upfront in this financial year for Beto, a key term to getting the deal done given Everton’s lack of funding availability this season.
Beto will end up costing €25 million (£21.4m) plus another €5m (£4.2m) in potential add-ons. The player has spent two seasons in Udine, first on loan in 2021-22 from Portimonense and then making the switch permanent last summer on a four year deal for just €7m. In his two seasons in Italy, the tall centre-forward has scored 22 times in 65 games for Udinese.
With the summer transfer window closing at the end of this week, we can expect this to be a busy period for the Blues including a flurry of loan possibilities as well with the central defence and wide forward positions also needing reinforcing.
