Everton finally open talks to sign £12.5m player who once left Lionel Messi stunned

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Despite what they were promised ahead of the summer transfer window, this has been one of revolution for Everton rather than regression.

After all, Kevin Thelwell sought to downplay expectations, threatening huge sales with minimal incomings that might leave Sean Dyche’s squad looking barren.

Instead, it has never looked so plentiful, with strength in depth largely across the board, and hopefully more to come before the summer concludes.

One such transfer saga that has persisted since even before the window opened involves one star-studded midfielder, and according to this latest report, at last a breakthrough has been made.

Everton open transfer talks to sign Arthur Melo

Everton’s interest in Arthur Melo is one which was first noted back in May, but remains to this day.

After all, by all accounts, the Brazilian has no future at Juventus, and therefore could be snagged at a cut price by the Toffees.

The latest on this venture comes courtesy of Italian outlet TuttoSport, who simply write: ‘As for Arthur: [There are] ongoing talks with a couple of English teams (Everton and Leicester) to understand the feasibility of a possible return to the Premier League’.

Arthur Melo’s price tag has been debated for some time as well, but it seems the Turin-based side settled on £12.5m recently.

It is likely just his £103k-a-week wages that provide the largest stumbling block for Everton, who will not want to tie themselves down to such a huge contract with no guarantees of his success.

The 27-year-old did endure an injury-ravaged spell at Merseyside rivals Liverpool, but more recently shone on loan with Fiorentina.

Should Everton sign Arthur Melo?

Even if his once-promising career has not panned out as successful as many first imagined, it has been far from underwhelming.

After all, moving straight from Brazil to Barcelona heaped tonnes of pressure upon his shoulders, which he largely seemed to take in his stride.

In fact, he even recalled Lionel Messi’s reaction to his move to Spain, noting: ‘[Lionel] Messi said I was the one who surprised him the most out of all the signings in 2018.

‘I thought he was joking. And I had just arrived at Barзa. It was a very nice moment for me. Afterwards, in the dressing room, I spoke to him in person and thanked him.’

One does not simply lose this quality, and it seems Arthur’s career was somewhat sacrificed as part of Barcelona and Juventus’ questionable transfer practices.

Having rekindled that spark somewhat with Fiorentina, this is not just any old washed-up 27-year-old seeking one last paycheque.

It is clearly a hungry player willing to prove himself wherever possible after a few years of hardship, the bulk of which was not really his fault.

Perhaps, if the finances are right, Everton could be the platform for him to recapture that remarkable potential which once had many around Europe excited.