Everton and Newcastle to battle for £20m free agent as five club battle trims down to two
Everton’s financial situation remains delicate as the club recorded losses of over £100 million for the third straight year. In such a scenario, doing transfer business can be difficult. Free transfers are the most logical solutions and Everton can do one in the form of James Tarkowski.
The Everton defence is crying out for upgrades as Yerry Mina and Michael Keane remain unreliable. The Toffees may look to offload either of the two and bring in a fresh face. Tarkowski is one of the touted options along with Kristoffer Ajer and Kim Min-jae also appearing in the news feeds.
However, Tarkowski appears to be Everton’s first choice simply for the fact that the whole transfer operation will be extremely cheap compared to other targets. The Merseysiders have reportedly offered £90,000 per week deal to Tarkowski who is still deciding his future.
His departure from Burnley is almost certain after the Clarets failed to save themselves from the drop on the final day of the season. With his contract expiring this summer, there’s little incentive for the 29 year old to stay at Turf Moor, especially when there are a host of Premier League clubs keen on him.
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Everton will have to battle Newcastle United for James Tarkowski
According to The Mirror, there were five clubs in the chase of Tarkowski. Everton, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Fulham and West Ham United were advertised as possible destinations for Tarkowski. A five club battle meant that Everton would have had to do a lot of convincing to acquire Tarkowski’s signatures.
However, a few clubs have already dropped out of the race which now gives a big advantage to the Toffees. Aston Villa signed Diego Carlos which put the Royal Blues in the front seat for the Burnley defender. West Ham are also looking at other options and are said to be close to bringing Nayef Aguerd from Rennes.
Tarkowski has spent 10 out of 13 seasons in the north west and hence he might still fancy a move to a northern club which demotes Fulham to a lesser favourable option. That leaves Everton and Newcastle United as two clubs in the running for Tarkowski.
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Financially, Newcastle are miles better than Everton. Eddie Howe is set to have a huge war chest this summer and they will be able to offer Tarkowski a hefty contract and possibly an enticing signing bonus. Everton does not have that privilege.
Frank Lampard will have to convince Tarkowski of the sporting project. The defender has an impressive track record in terms of fitness and performance. He has played at least 35 out of 38 Premier League games every season for the past four seasons.
The Englishman is a brave tackler and doesn’t shy away from putting a heart challenge. He can be the leader of the backline that Everton definitely wants. The club and Lampard must do everything possible to sign Tarkowski on a Bosman deal.
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