Everton are still interested in signing Federico Gatti in January.
That’s according to Calciomercato, who have reported that the Toffees could reignite their interest in the defender.
Federico Gatti joined Juventus from Frosinone in January 2022 before returning to his former club on loan for the rest of the season.
After being named the Serie B Footballer of the Year, Gatti’s move to Juve was made official when he made his debut seven months later.
The 25-year-old only made 18 appearances in Serie A last season, but reportedly still caught the eye of both Everton and Nottingham Forest.
According to Tuttosport, Sean Dyche’s side had made a ‘maxi offer’ for Gatti during the transfer window. They went onto report at the weekend that the player’s father had admitted that he had been approached by a few Premier League sides.
He said: “In the summer a couple of English clubs wanted him. I always thought that the Premier League was a type of football suited to him,” he said.
“But my son sees it differently: he has always and only wanted Juventus. He did very well, he never liked transfers against his will, like when Torino gave him to Alessandria at 14 and then when Alessandria didn’t think he was up to the mark.”
Gatti didn’t seem to keen on making the switch to England, while his loyalty to the Old Lady appears to have paid off after starting 12 of their 15 league games this season.
Despite that, Everton remain interested in snapping Gatti up and could launch a bid in January.
The task ahead of the Toffees has only got a lot harder since the summer though, with the ‘humble’ centre-back signing a contract extension in October that has seen him commit his future to the club for a further four and a half years.
Is Everton’s interest in Federico Gatti too ambitious?
It’s unclear how much Everton would have to cough up to sign Gatti, though Transfermarkt claim his market value is at about €12 million (£10.3m).
If Premier League clubs are also continuing to monitor the Italian then the price could be driven up significantly, which would make Everton’s pursuit even more bleak.
Everton’s defence has actually been the best part of their squad in recent months and it would be a surprise if the club spent an eight-figure fee on a centre-back – especially in January.
The Toffees’ current financial situation makes that kind of cash unlikely, especially given the amount of factors that could affect the club’s future – such as the takeover, their point deduction and the looming £300m court case from Leeds United, Burnley and Leicester.
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