Everton manager David Moyes looks on (left), Barcelona player Yamine Lamal in action (lower inset), mystery player (upper inset)
Everton manager David Moyes looks on (left), Barcelona player Yamine Lamal in action (lower inset), mystery player (upper inset)
Everton are looking to build their squad ahead of the first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium – and a new striker is on the agenda for David Moyes.
The Toffees ended up surviving easily in 2024/25, with David Moyes making a brilliant impact after replacing Sean Dyche.
In the end, Everton amassed 48 points in the Premier League, and sealed their safety weeks before the end of the season.
Everton now need to build on their promising second half of 2024/25 – and it is paramount for The Friedkin Group to hand Moyes the tools he needs to take the team to the next level.
Everton want to sign a new striker this summer.
There remains uncertainty over the future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and a number of names have been linked already.
Everton supposedly like Aleksandar Mitrovic, which would certainly be an intriguing move.
But Everton also like Thierno Barry – and Moyes has now learned how much a move might cost.
Thierno Barry release clause now shared as Everton eye striker
Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Barry has just finished a really good season over in Spain with Villarreal.
The French striker bagged 19 goals across all competitions, with 11 of those coming in La Liga.
That is a haul that deserves respect. For some perspective, he actually finished 2024/25 with one more goal to his name than Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal across all competitions, who is the talk of the town at the moment.
Everton obviously need some more firepower this summer, and seemingly Barry is a player they feel can help next season.
But a move will not be cheap.
Photo by Flor Tan Jun/Getty Images
Photo by Flor Tan Jun/Getty Images
TEAMtalk have reported this evening that Barry has a release clause over just over £33 million.
Everton will need to match that to get him, or potentially there could be room for a bit of negotiation with Villarreal to get him slightly cheaper.
It is rightly pointed out, though, that Everton were ready to trigger Liam Delap’s £30 million release clause. So Villarreal may not settle for anything less than the clause they have on Barry.
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Everton may need a different profile of striker to Beto
So Everton now know how much will be required to sign Barry.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Toffees do make an approach and if they are able to get him for any less than £33 million.
The link itself is intriguing, because Barry is very similar to Beto from a physical standpoint.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
The pair are pretty much the same height and have a similar build.
With that said, one wonders if Barry might be someone Everton are actually looking to replace Beto with, and the plan is to then sign another striker on top.
Breaking the Lines say that Barry ‘brings a unique combination of physical dominance and silky skills to Villarreal’, and also that ‘his ability to disrupt defences and score opportunities is clear’. This does suggest he could be more of a Beto replacement, rather than competition for him.
Beto has been linked with Leeds already this summer, and it’s not out of the question he could leave, despite having enjoyed a pretty good 2025.