Club drops the idea to sign Everton man as £8 million ace close to transfer
On 12th March 2019, Stephan El Shaarawy made his 100th AS Roma appearance, scoring a screamer. 100 appearances for a club might not be a big milestone but for a player who has had catastrophic injuries throughout his career, it is a memorable landmark. It was as if the footballing gods had bestowed more blessings on El Shaarawy when captain Alessandro Florenzi was sent off and the captain’s armband found its way to the Pharaoh’s arm.
The summer of 2019 surprised many Roma fans when El Shaarawy switched Europe for China, leaving for Shanghai Shenhua. The love for Italy and desire to wear Roma colours again will now see him complete a sensational return to Trigoria.
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, the 28 year old forward is set to complete his return to Roma after undergoing a medical. The player has arrived in Rome and already underwent the COVID-19 swab test.
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Roma’s successful attempts to sign El Shaarawy mean an automatic end to the Bernard pursuit. The Giallorossi no longer need the Everton winger. Paulo Fonseca had a two man shortlist- namely Bernard and El Shaarawy- to bolster the wide options. While the former AC Milan attacker was always the first preference, the dampening hopes of El Shaarawy earlier this month did shift some attention towards Bernard.
Giallorossi were aware of Everton’s aspiration to redeem Robin Olsen permanently, giving birth to the idea of a swap deal. Roma were unhappy with the Brazilian’s valuation as the Toffees wanted a significant amount of cash plus Olsen to let Bernard go. In these tough economic times, the Romans were unprepared to splash such cash.
Will Bernard stay at Everton?
Eventually, Roma have got their man in El Shaarawy closing any possibility of a Bernard transfer. With this is now also clear is that Bernard will stay at Goodison Park until the end of the season. The 28 year old has largely played as a second fiddle to Richarlison and Alex Iwobi but with the club in the realizing their real shot at European football, they’ll need every player who can help them achieve the dream.
Squad depth is a real concern and allowing Bernard to go without lining up a replacement would be a suicide mission. With no transfer business expected on the blue half of Merseyside, it is safe to bet that Bernard will stay put. However, with just 18 months left on his deal, the summer will be a very important period in the Brazilian’s future.
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Will Bernard stay at Everton beyond the summer?