Reports have surfaced that a bid from Everton for Stefano Sturaro have been rejected by Juventus. The player’s agent, Carlo Volpi stated that the club is reluctant to let him go even with the number of offers that have come in for the 24-year-old.
Sturaro has barely featured for the Old Lady this season with just 545 minutes of game time and is way below the pecking order behind the likes of Blaise Matuidi, Sami Khedira and Miralem Pjanic. A very versatile presence in the midfield, Sturaro has both the defensive and offensive abilities to dominate around the centre circle. He is mostly deployed as a holding midfielder and is well versed with the distribution responsibilities.
He could have had a major impact for Everton with Morgan Schneiderlin falling below his own standards. The Frenchman, although a regular starter has struggled to link up with the rest of his teammates and might need some offensive help for the remainder of the season. Now that Sturaro’s transfer has been ruled out, here are a few options Sam Allardyce could consider in the coming weeks.
Andreas Samaris
Samaris is mainly known for his defensive abilities in the form of interceptions and tackling around the centre circle of the pitch. He also has a keen vision to find the right man up front. The midfielder had fielded other offers from Premier League clubs too and had almost joined Sunderland in the January of the 2016-2017 season.
Newcastle United have been heavily linked with the Greek maestro, but their financial limitations might allow Everton to make a swoop.
Kevin Strootman
Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp is eager to activate the €45m release clause for the Dutch international. Strootman has overcome a series of injury problems to make 187 appearances since joining Roma from PSV Eindhoven in a deal worth £17m (€19m) back in 2013.
The AS Roma midfielder is highly rated around the Serie A as a central think tank who can appear in the anchor position. He is an elite talent who is entering the best phase of his career. Allardyce’s 4-2-3-1 lineup is well suited for the 27-year-old who will be delighted to play behind the likes of Wayne Rooney and new signing Cenk Tosun in top-flight English football.
Rodrigo Battaglia
West Ham United are targeting the Sporting Lisbon man and has already seen a bid of £13m get rejected. Battaglia is a well-proven talent with 29 appearances for the Portuguese outfit this season. With United, struggling to meet the asking price, the Toffees have a fighting chance to land his services.
