Everton have been linked with a potential move for Lille and England midfielder Angel Gomes
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Angel Gomes of Lille
Angel Gomes of Lille(Image: Baptiste Fernandez/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Everton have been linked with a move for Angel Gomes and have got a potential ‘secret weapon’ when it comes to trying to seal a transfer for the England international. An article by Give Me Sport states that according to their sources, Everton are making a fresh attempt to win the race to sign Gomes but there is an awareness behind the scenes that they will have to fight off the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United after they have also declared their interest ahead of the summer.
The piece adds that the England international is preparing to leave his current club Lille, where he has been since 2020, as a free agent at the end of June, when his contract – which allows him to pocket less than £12,000-per-week – is due to expire, and the Toffees are among a host of suitors aiming to pounce as preparations are made for the 2025/26 campaign.
It then states GMS sources have been informed that David Moyes is an admirer of Gomes, who has been restricted to just 20 appearances in all competitions this season, and that has resulted in Everton showing a willingness to reignite their interest after they previously considered trying to turn his head. If the Blues do want to land the 24-year-old Londoner, they have already got a hotline to him that could help convince him to make a move.
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Gomes became Manchester United’s youngest player since Duncan Edwards when he replaced Wayne Rooney as a 16-year-old substitute in 2017 and his best friend is Everton midfielder James Garner with the pair having grown up together as team-mates at the Red Devils academy before the Birkenhead-born player returned to his native Merseyside when making a £9million switch to Goodison Park in 2022. Speaking in an interview published in the ECHO last year, Garner said: “Angel is my closest mate. He and I have been mates since we first met, we speak all the time.
“He had a similar choice to me, a bit earlier in his career and people were saying ‘what’s he doing’ but he’s like me, he just wants to play football and hasn’t lost track of that. He’s not bothered about x, y and z and I feel he’s made the right move, he’s playing every week now.
“I probably spoke to him (about Everton), I can’t quite remember, but we speak all the time. He is someone I would go to for advice because he’s someone who is really mature and knows quite a lot.
“He would have just advised me to go for it. He always says you need to back your own ability which is what I do.”