According to the reports from Portuguese media Outlet Record as cited by Liverpool Echo, Everton are going to target Sporting Lisbon’s captain Bruno Fernandes in the summer. The report also adds that Spanish heavyweight Atletico Madrid are also interested. A Bola is reporting that Sporting could sell their star midfielder for £35m in the upcoming summer.
Marco Silva has been under immense pressure after a wretched run of form was broken last weekend when they went past Cardiff City. A lot more had been expected out of the Portuguese manager, but it is clear that he would need time to create an impact at the Merseyside club.
Fernandes meanwhile is having a fantastic season in his homeland as he has managed a whopping 22 goals from midfield. To go with that, he has 11 assists to his name. Therefore we expect the attacking midfielder to go for big bucks in the summer if he is on the market.
Everton have shown their ambition in the transfer market as they made some big money signings in the summer of 2018. However, the owners might want to see a bit more positive result from Silva before they can offer him more funds for the upcoming transfer window.
Out and out number 10 are often a rare breed as to operate in that position. One requires a certain level of footballing intelligence to go with the skills and abilities. Fernandes seems to have everything to his repertoire as he showcases an impressive work rate along with sublime on-the-ball skills. Moreover, his 22 goals plus counting campaign signifies that he is a clinical finisher in front of goal and on his day, he can be a match-winner on his own.
The 24-year-old was also part of Portugal’s national team for the 2018 World Cup, and the midfielder has had 11 appearances to his name for his country. He might take a bit of time to adjust to life in the Premier League, but there is no doubt in our mind that his technical abilities will see him through all the challenges in England.
Everton have an outright playmaker in the form of Gylfi Sigurdsson, but the Icelandic international has been slightly injury prone. Therefore one can understand why Marco Silva might be keen on another playmaker. Fernandes can even play as a central midfielder as well so his versatility will allow the manager to accommodate both Sigurdsson and Fernandes in the same eleven.
However, there could be quite a few clubs who could be after him given his abilities, and Atletico Madrid can be a big obstacle in front of the Merseyside club as they too are reportedly interested.
