Everton must work on offloading players that are not fit for the project headed by Sean Dyche.
There are a number of players who face uncertain futures at the club and among them is Andre Gomes. The Portuguese midfielder spent the last season on loan at LOSC Lille and has managed to impress the hierarchy.
With Everton signing Amadou Onana, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye last summer, it was abundantly clear that Gomes would see a massive reduction in game time and if he had stayed at Goodison Park, his role would be reduced to a mere substitute player. The former Barcelona man had endured a difficult 2021-22 season and a move away would help him rejuvenate his career.
Gomes made 27 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scoring three goals and providing two assists. The Portuguese remained relatively injury free, missing just seven Ligue 1 games because of minor injuries. At the end of the season, Gomes thanked the fans of Lille via social media, possibly indicating that he would return to Everton in the summer.
However, Lille are still keen to keep him. According to Foot Mercato, Lille will try everything in their power to keep Gomes for the 2023-24 season. Any deal is complex given the financial parameters as Gomes earns around £112,000 per week. The Toffees will be seeking a transfer fee for Gomes, although the sum would be low given that the Portuguese has just one year left on his current deal.
Despite the complexities, LOSC Lille are willing to try to bring Gomes back for next season. The Ligue 1 side weren’t expecting the loan to go as well as it has and now they are willing to take the efforts to keep Gomes for the 2023-24 season.
Everton seem unlikely to sanction another loan deal as a loan deal would see him leave as a free agent next summer. EFC would prefer to cash in on the midfielder that arrived from Barcelona in 2018 for €25 million.
With Dyche preferring a midfield of Gueye, Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure, space for Gomes seems unlikely. Even in the event of Onana’s sale, EFC would look to replace him with a young and promising midfielder rather than 29 year old Gomes who is on high wages and has just one year left on his current deal.
