Everton are stepping up their attempts to bring Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye back to the club.
What’s the word?
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Toffees are pressing on with negotiations to re-sign the 32-year-old this summer, having sold the Senegal international to the Ligue 1 giants three years ago in a £30m deal.
Writing on Twitter about that potential move for the 94-cap star, the transfer guru stated: “Talks advancing for Gana Gueye to Everton, PSG want him to go; could be loan or permanent.”
Romano had revealed prior to that that the player himself is interested in making a return to Goodison Park before the September deadline, with the Merseysiders having already wrapped up deals for James Tarkowski, Ruben Vinagre and Dwight McNeil thus far.
Supporters buzzing
News that the move is edging ever closer will come as a source of great delight to the Everton faithful, with supporters no doubt buzzing to welcome back a player who had hugely impressed during his first spell at the club.
Signed from Aston Villa for just £7.1m back in 2016, the 5 foot 9 gem went on to rack up 107 appearances for the club in all competitions over the next few years, proving himself a hugely integral figure in the centre of the park.
Should Everton re-sign Idrissa Gueye?
Yes!
No!
Amongst the star-studded names at the Parc des Princes the £99k-per-week ace has continued to impress in the years since his Goodison exit, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 111 games for the Parisien outfit.
The most recent campaign saw the £10.8m-rated machine also catch the eye as he scored three times and provided one assist in 26 league games from his holding midfield berth, notably averaging 2.3 tackles per game and recording a mightily impressive 93% pass accuracy rate.
He thus unsurprisingly ranks in the top 2% for pass completion among those in his position across Europe’s big five leagues, as well as in the top 6% for pressures made and the top 7% for successful tackles.
That latter metric is where the combative warrior particularly shined during his previous spell in England, ranking first for tackles made in the top-flight in the 2016/17 campaign (135), before finishing behind only Wilfred Ndidi over the next two seasons – recording 117 tackles in 2017/18 and 142 in 2018/19.
Although no longer perhaps at his peak, the one-time Lille man will add instant quality to a midfield department that has been sorely scrutinised in recent times, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher having previously berated the “lack of athleticism” in Lampard’s side.
Gueye’s arrival will undoubtedly change that, with supporters set to relish the prospect of seeing the all-action destroyer work his magic in the coming years.
AND in other news: “Still keen..”: Journo drops big Everton transfer update that’ll worry supporters
