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A rumoured Everton target seems set to be available on loan in the summer transfer window
After a few rather difficult years, everything is looking a little sunnier on the blue side of the Mersey. Everton seem to have stability at boardroom level and are improving on the pitch, with European qualification still a possibility – but as tends to be the case, success in the Premier League brings fresh problems with it.
Everton may have to contend with elevated interest in their existing squad as wealthier sides hover over their outstanding players, with Iliman Ndiaye seemingly especially likely to draw attention. Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with a bid for the Senegal international,and there is a good chance that he moves on once the transfer window opens. Fortunately, new reports suggest that one possible alternative could soon be available on loan.
Everton target Edon Zhegrova is a low-risk signing – but not a sure thing
Everton have been linked with Juventus winger Edon Zhegrova on a number of occasions since the winter, with the Kosovan forward looking increasingly likely to leave Turin after just one season on the Old Lady’s books – a season in which he hasn’t started a single Serie A game.
After three impressive seasons in France with Lille, Juventus paid approximately £13.5m to sign the right winger last summer, only to watch him struggle to integrate after a serious injury. With Juventus struggling financially and needing to raise around £26m to balance the books in the coming off-season, they seem likely to let Zhegrova leave this summer, and don’t seem likely to haggle over the price.
Tuttomercato are the latest Italian media outlet to report that Zhegrova is available, and Everton could well be among the suitors. Reports dating back to February suggest that the 27-year-old is a target for David Moyes’ side, and he now looks likely not only to be available but easy to obtain.
The injury which has derailed Zhegrova’s progress means that even if the transfer fee was low, there would be some risk attached. An adductor injury he picked up in December 2024 ultimately sidelined him for nine months – he was still injured when Juventus signed him – and he has struggled to get back into the swing of things.
That’s limited his opportunities in Luciano Spalletti’s side, and he’s played just 330 minutes without scoring or creating a goal in the league. The stats don’t speak to a player that Everton should be working too hard to sign, but his work in France tells a different story.
In the 18 months prior to his thigh injury, Zhegrova scored 20 goals in 68 matches and demonstrated the combination of sharp movement, efficient finishing and high work rate which makes him a potential replacement for Ndiaye at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Adept at finding and exploiting space down the right and dangerous when cutting back in onto his favoured left foot, Zhegrova was both a nuisance in the final third and a willing runner out of possession who forced a high number of high turnovers as he pressed and harassed opposing defenders. His combination of graft and guile marks him out as the kind of forward that Moyes tends to value.
He has his weaknesses – in particular, his relatively tepid dribbling which means he struggles to burst past defenders with the ball at his feet reliably – but looked like the kind of player who could improve a top side. Juventus may have made a bad bet in signing a badly-injured player, but they didn’t do it without good reason.
Everton could sign Zhegrova on loan in the summer transfer window
Everton’s rumoured interest, however serious it proves to be, is only likely to be heightened by the suggestion that Juventus would settle for a loan deal – a cost-effective way for the Toffees to take an extended look at Zhegrova before deciding whether he’s worthy of a long-term investment.
With Everton still working through the financial disadvantages imposed by the construction of their new stadium and the errors of the previous owners, opportunities to make low-cost signings are unlikely to be ignore entirely, and if (as Tuttomercato appear to suggest) Juventus would accept a temporary solution to help them balance the books, it probably increases the odds that he moves to Merseyside.
Clearly, his medical records will be of some concern and any hopes of a deal could disappear quickly if Everton aren’t satisfied that he will arrive in good condition, but the talent is there to make taking a gamble justifiable – and Zhegrova is in what should be his prime years with a history of proven production at the top level of the game.
None of the stories linking Everton with a bid have yet suggested that a formal offer has been made, and Zhegrova may be just one of many names on their shortlist as they prepare for Ndiaye’s departure, but he has the skillset and on-field attitude to be a success on Merseyside – if he’s still got the legs. It would be entirely unsurprising if Everton made a move, but after 18 months either injured or in the wilderness in Turin, it’s difficult to know how such a deal might pan out. If they do make a bid, it will tell us something about the Friedkin Group’s tolerance for risk.
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