Everton have long been linked with Ricardo Pepi, and there may be fresh hope of a summer swoop with his proposed move to Fulham now on the rocks.
Everton are likely to be in the market for a new striker this summer, with neither Beto nor Thierno Barry being prolific number nines.
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Beto is being praised at the moment following an upturn, with the star scoring twice against Chelsea at the weekend.
But the feeling is that Everton will still need to strengthen in that position this summer, and Pepi has been a target.
There was a blow for Everton recently when it was reported Pepi had reached an agreement with Fulham.
But the move is now in danger, creating a potential opening for David Moyes.
Ricardo Pepi to Fulham stalling due to lack of commitment amid fears over injury
Ricardo Pepi playing for PSV Eindhoven.
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
Journalist Rik Elfrink has been shedding some light on this situation on the Heet van de Herdgang podcast.
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And it basically all boils down to Fulham and PSV Eindhoven not being able to agree over what happens if the player gets injured between now and the end of the season.
Fulham want the jump on other clubs ahead of the summer and wanted a deal in place, but to have the option of walking away if Pepi picked up an injury.
PSV want everything sorted now, with a commitment from Fulham.
Elfrink said: “Well, the situation is that Fulham FC came back in very quickly after the winter transfer window. They really wanted to sign him. Pepi also really wanted to make that move – he was very keen on it. He’s happy at PSV, so that wasn’t the issue. He just really wanted to go to the Premier League.
“That was possible. In the end, they agreed on the fee – 35 plus 2, plus a substantial sell-on clause, higher than usual. I think around 20% or so. So altogether, that could rise to around 40 million in the future, maybe even more if he performs well in the Premier League.
“But the problem was: Who takes responsibility if he gets injured? And let’s say the deal goes through, the medical is done – when is the exact moment the transfer becomes final? They couldn’t reach an agreement on that.
Ricardo Pepi for PSV
Appearances – 96
Goals – 39
Assists – 8
“If you buy him, then you have to take on the risk yourself, because what you’re actually trying to do is get ahead of other clubs, but what you’re basically saying is: we want to buy you, but we don’t want to take any risk, while still having first rights to you based on this offer.
“Fulham still wanted the option to reject the deal in July if Pepi got injured. They were asking for some kind of exemption clause. PSV Eindhoven wanted the transfer done now – or at least very soon – so they’d have certainty over the money and be able to sign a replacement.
“Because otherwise, you could end up in a situation where, say, they sign someone like Álvaro Rodríguez from Elche, and then suddenly in July Pepi comes back as well – that doesn’t work.
“So you can only act in one direction. You could talk to someone like Mika Biereth from Monaco, but you can’t say: “We’ll sign him, while Fulham still has the option to cancel the Pepi deal,” because then you might end up with Biereth, Pepi, and Pléa all at once.”
A potential opening for Everton
So it seems the situation with Pepi and Fulham is complicated to say the least, and potentially this means a chance for Everton to come back in for the player.
It’s not yet clear if Everton would be willing to bend to the PSV demands that Fulham weren’t.
But it will be interesting to see if there are any developments regarding the Toffees, with Pepi scoring 13 goals in 28 appearances this season.
He’s a talent, and of course Everton have been no strangers to an American signing in the past
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