Jordan Veretout’s agent has suggested the Frenchman could make a transfer to Everton over the summer.
The Roma midfielder was reportedly approached by Napoli, who were formerly managed by current Toffees’ boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Who is Jordan Veretout? Five things to know…
- The French midfielder represented his country at nearly all available youth levels.
- He was part of the Aston Villa side that got relegated in 2016.
- Consequently, he moved to Fiorentina in 2017.
- He impressed in Florence and has played 20 times for Roma this season in his latest loan spell.
- It would be a surprise if he returns to his parent club next season.
Ancelotti may be looking to strengthen in the midfield area. His current crop of central players leaves a little to be desired, with the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin and Fabian Delph beginning to age and Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Andre Gomes having their fair share of injury concerns.
Veretout didn’t exactly impress during his previous spell in England with what was a disastrous Villa side but has really kicked on since moving to Italy, becoming an important part of Roma’s side this season.
Roma sit six points ahead of Napoli currently but Gennaro Gattuso’s side may be where the Frenchman ends up, given their clear interest in the midfielder.
Now, Veretout’s agent, Mario Giuffredi, has revealed his client’s future is somewhat up in the air.
He told Radio Marte: “I know that (Napoli President Aurelio) De Laurentiis asked for Veretout in January, but there wasn’t the necessary time required to really develop a negotiation.
“I wouldn’t rule out a summer move to Napoli, though. There is a lot of movement going on at Roma too and there could be a complete reboot of the squad.”
Everton are in the picture too, however, with Giuffredi adding: “Jordan has always been appreciated by Ancelotti too, but his signing last year would’ve meant losing Allan, so it wasn’t taken any further at the time.”
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Ancelotti returns to the Bridge
This weekend sees Everton’s manager make his first return to Chelsea, a club where he enjoyed massive success over a two-year period.
He won the double there in 2010 as his rampant Blues side scored 103 goals that season — they were the first team to score over 100 in a single campaign, something which has become common practice for Manchester City nowadays.
His new side are bang in form and represent a massive threat to Chelsea’s Champions League push. Everton were 18th and 15 points behind Lampard’s men when Marco Silva was sacked but Ancelotti has closed that gap to eight points, giving supporters genuine hope of a European push.
This weekend’s clash will be a great test of just how good they really are.