Aleksandar Mitrovic David Moyes Everton
(Credit: Imago)
Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent
Sun 8 June 2025 9:32, UK
Everton face a “huge” challenge to afford a move for Aleksandar Mitrovic this summer, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed what his sources have told him about the Toffees’ attempts to sign the Al-Hilal striker.
Centre-forward is one of Everton’s priority positions this summer, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin bound for the exit door, Armando Broja on his way back to Chelsea and Beto unable to carry the burden alone.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Football Insider on 6 June that Al-Hilal will be reluctant to lose Mitrovic after their previous talisman Neymar departed in January, leaving Everton at an impasse.
Now, Football Insider sources have said that due to Mitrovic‘s huge pay packet in the Saudi Pro League, Everton would need “big contributions” from Al-Hilal to have any chance of affording the Serbia striker.
Everton are in the market for a striker, and Mitrovic is open to taking a pay cut with a £40million return to England mooted, but sources have told Football Insider that this transfer is a “non-starter” at present.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Everton need a new number nine this summer with Dominic Calvert-Lewin set to leave (Credit: Imago)
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Mitrovic to Everton transfer “doesn’t work”
Former Toffees CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider that Everton plan to complete up to 10 signings this summer in a huge statement of intent from the Friedkin Group, with several players out of contract.
Speaking on the new Inside Track, O’Rourke said that the Blues are unlikely to shell out £40m and a huge wage packet on one player in the form of Mitrovic, with a number of other potential strikers linked.
“I don’t see how Everton could afford him”, he told Football Insider.
“The transfer fees are going to be huge – and the wages as well – there’d have to be big contributions from Al-Hilal, so for me it doesn’t work.
“It looks like a non-starter to me, but we know Everton are in the market for a striker, so there’ll be a number of names that are linked with a move to the [Hill Dickinson] Stadium ahead of next season.”
Dan Friedkin Everton Stadium
Dan Friedkin is keen to make a splash at Everton this summer (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
Everton to avoid Mitrovic move amid new transfer strategy
Wyness also told Football Insider on 4 June that Mitrovic is no longer able to justify a £40m transfer fee in the Premier League after two years in Saudi Arabia, and that Liam Delap would have been “perfect”.
Delap has instead joined Chelsea for just £30m after Everton were strong contenders in the race to sign him, and this exemplifies the level of quality David Moyes needs to aim for in the strikers’ transfer market.
Carlos Alcaraz is already through the doors at Everton’s new stadium, but with the Toffees still not entirely free of the PSR issues which hampered Farhad Moshiri’s tenure, big-money transfer fees such as £40m for Mitrovic are still some way off.
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