Everton could consider a sensational swap deal between The Friedkin Group’s AS Roma involving Artem Dovbyk and Beto.
On paper, this would appear a fairly straightforward deal to pull off given The Friedkin Group own both clubs.
However, there will be a number of obstacles that would need to be overcome to see a January transfer pulled off.
Everton are open to offloading Beto in the coming weeks following his poor start to the 2025/26 campaign.
With only two senior strikers at the club, David Moyes is going to need guarantees that a replacement will be brought through the doors on Merseyside.
It has been suggested that Dovbyk could replace Beto in January, but the Friedkins could find themselves under scrutiny from the Premier League if they are to push forward with this potential deal.
Everton don’t have PSR motive to swap Beto for Artem Dovbyk
In their almost-one-full-year at the club, the Friedkins have financially stabilised Everton after some really turbulent years under Farhad Moshiri.
The tables have been turned and the Toffees are now on the straight and narrow from battling the Premier League’s financial regulations.
However, being a part of a multi-club set-up now, Everton News’ finance expert Adam Williams has shared the obstacles a possible swap deal with Roma for Dovbyk and Beto could occur.
“I think by now we are all familiar with the quasi-swap deals that certain clubs have used as a PSR workaround,” Williams told Everton News.
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“Two teams trade players in separate deals of roughly equivalent value. Because the incoming player’s transfer fee is amortised over up to five years whereas the profit on the outgoing player’s sale hits the bottom line immediately, these deals have got a couple of clubs out of short-term PSR trouble in recent years.
“It isn’t a free hit – you still have to account for the new player’s wages and the full value of his transfer over time. But it was an effective quick fix. We’ve seen this kind of arrangement happen at Everton before, albeit pre-Friedkin.
“On face value, however, I don’t think this potential swap deal between Beto and Dovbyk fits the bill.”
Everton News understands that Everton will target a new striker in January, and this is a deal that could certainly benefit the two Friedkin teams
“There are a few reasons to consider. For one, Everton don’t have any immediate PSR concerns. The worst is behind them and they have started to scale up investment again in line with the extra revenue from the new stadium, and their debt interest payments are far more manageable now that they have been renegotiated,” Williams added.
“What’s more, they did the accountancy trick of selling the women’s team to themselves, so even if they are closer to PSR’s £105m three-year loss limit than we think, they have a buffer of probably £50m-plus there.
“You could argue that maybe it’s The Friedkin Group helping Roma out with FFP. But as I understand it, most of their issues have been with UEFA’s rules, which would revise down the value of any deals between the two clubs anyway. We have seen that with deals between Newcastle and other PIF-owned clubs, for example. So I don’t see any benefit there either.”
The Friedkins may face Premier League probe over Artem Dovbyk and Beto swap
As Williams mooted, Newcastle United offloaded Allan Saint-Maximin to Al-Ahli back in 2023 for a fee in the region of £23m.
The Saudi club is another owned by Newcastle owners PIF.
This could present a similar case to what may unfold between Everton and Roma in the coming weeks over their two strikers.
But Williams does not believe that any Premier League probe would reflect negatively on any potential swap deal between the two clubs.
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“Returning to the Everton angle, PSR is on the way out anyway. Under the new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) system, player sale profits are averaged out over three years, so while big player sales will help you out within the rules, the quasi-swap deals aren’t as heavily incentivised,” said Williams.
“In theory, if you sign a player on a five-year deal and sell one whose profit is averaged out over three, you could create a tiny bit of headroom, but it’s negligible.
“In any case, the Premier League say that all transfers are screened for fair market value anyway. We haven’t had any deals revised down up until now, and there have been a few which, in my view, don’t really pass the smell test. So because they appear to be being quite liberal in their interpretation of fair market value, I don’t anticipate any issues for The Friedkin Group there either.
“If this swap deal does materialise, I’d say it will be purely for sporting reasons. I’m not a fan of the multi-club model on moral grounds, but it does create opportunities where it might be mutually convenient for both clubs like this.”
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