Marco Silva has said Everton will make a concerted effort to sign André Gomes on a permanent transfer, although the future of the stylish midfielder rests with Barcelona.
The Portugal international has made a major impression at Goodison Park after only six appearances in a 12-month loan deal. Everton were priced out of a permanent deal for Gomes in the summer when negotiating with Barcelona for Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne. They paid a £2m fee to sign the 25-year-old on loan on deadline day after Gomes had been injured during pre-season but have no option to make the deal permanent.
Barcelona want to recoup the £29m they paid Valencia in 2016 for the midfielder, who endured a difficult time with the Spanish champions and is not desperate to return. Everton hope that will work in their favour when reopening negotiations and their manager has confirmed Gomes’s signing is a priority.
Silva said: “As you know we don’t have the option – that deal doesn’t exist at the moment. There are three parts to any deal: us, André and Barcelona. We have to go step by step and at the right moment. Our owner and our board will find the right moment to try to do something and will do everything we can to achieve it but it is not just one decision that is in our hands. If it was we would possibly move faster because it is impossible to be more happy with André than we are at the moment.
“Everything he is doing – his performances, how he is enjoying it, how he has settled in our dressing room as a man and as a professional – is quality. Everything we can do to sign a quality player like him it would be really important for us.”
Everton may look to sell Morgan Schneiderlin and Oumar Niasse next month to raise funds for Gomes’s transfer but Silva does not want to force his compatriot into a decision. “What I don’t want to do is put all this pressure on André. I want André to be free to play his football and enjoy it. André is a very good guy and he will decide but Barcelona will take the decision as well.””
