Everton have expressed interest in signing Benfica midfielder Richard Rios this summer, according to reports via Sports Witness.
Despite starting last season strongly with a draw against eventual league champions Arsenal and a victory over Manchester United, Everton’s aspirations for European football diminished as they struggled with disappointing results in the latter part of the campaign.
The Toffees remained in contention for a top-10 finish for much of the season, but an inability to win any of their final seven Premier League fixtures ultimately saw them slip to 13th in the standings.
Several factors may have contributed to that downturn, yet the shortage of quality and depth within the squad appeared to be the most significant.
Consequently, Everton have now turned their attention towards reinforcing several key areas of the squad, with central midfield emerging as one of the club’s main priorities ahead of the summer transfer window.
Citing Italian journalist Salvatore Ferrante, Sport Witness reports that Everton have expressed interest in signing Benfica’s Rios to bolster their midfield this summer.
While talks have not progressed at this stage, the Merseyside club are closely monitoring the Colombian international ahead of a potential summer swoop, according to the report.
Ambitious swoop
However, Everton are not alone in the race for Rios, with the report adding that Premier League rivals Bournemouth and Fulham have also shown interest, while the 26-year-old is also favouring a move to Italian side Napoli.
With four years still running on his contract with Benfica, Sport Witness claims that the 38-time Portuguese champions are in no rush to sell Rios and have placed an £87m valuation on the former Flamengo and Palmeiras prodigy.
Everton have already added Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough this summer and are keen to build on that with further additions, with Rios now being eyed.
Standing at 6ft 1in, he is physically imposing and relentlessly covers a lot of ground. It’s no surprise he regularly features for Néstor Lorenzo’s Colombia squad at the ongoing World Cup.
He is comfortable dropping deeper to contest duels and protect the backline and is equally adept at receiving the ball under pressure and carrying it purposefully through the middle of the park.
While Everton’s interest in the midfielder reflects the club’s ambition, Benfica’s reported £87m valuation is well beyond the Toffees’ financial reach, so they may have to turn to other attainable alternatives.
Other News
