Analysis: Marcel Brands could strike gold if Everton seal reported hunt to sign £38.8m+ dazzler

by | Apr 10, 2019 |

Analysis: Marcel Brands could strike gold if Everton seal reported hunt to sign £38.8m+ dazzler

Everton are in the hunt to sign Ajax forward David Neres and are reportedly expected to bid for the Brazil international in the summer.

According to a report by Brazilian news outlet UOL, Ajax are ready to let Neres, 22, leave at the end of the season as long as they receive a reasonable offer for the attacker, who is understood to be intent on playing in the Premier League.

IS HE SPECIAL?

Neres is an extremely talented winger, and his form at Ajax this season means that it would not be a surprise if someone made a big-money move for him in the summer transfer window. Neres has scored 11 goals and supplied 15 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions this season, with one of his strikes coming against Real Madrid to knock the Champions League holders out of Europe last month. If Everton director of football Marcel Brands was to sign the dazzling Brazilian, he would definitely be striking gold, even if he does end up paying a premium for his services. UOL reported that Ajax turned down £38.8million for Neres in January, and they will want more than that to offload him in the upcoming summer transfer window. That fee could end up being a bargain though as Neres’ value is bound to soar once he starts to shine in England.

WHERE WILL HE FIT INTO TEAM?

Neres is an extremely versatile player who can play on either wing or up front as a centre-forward. Everton have some decent players who already play out wide like Bernard and Richarlison, but it would not hurt to strengthen their options on the right-side of the attack, where Theo Walcott has been poor this season. Marco Silva did not hesitate to add some Brazilian flair to his squad last year when he signed Bernard and Richarlison, so with those fellow Brazil internationals already on Merseyside, it might be easy for Neres to settle down. Brands is someone who knows Dutch football very well too, so everything about this potential deal seems to suggest that Everton would be playing a blinder by signing the red-hot attacker in the summer.

INTERESTING FACT

Neres earned his first cap for Brazil against Czech Republic in March when he came on as a substitute to replace Everton ace Richarlison.