Everton make an offer for Leandro Barreiro as he touches down to sign new deal

O Jogo reports that Leandro Barreiro has landed in Lisbon ahead of a move to Benfica, despite Everton’s interest in him.

The Portuguese newspaper said in their print edition (1 July, page 21) that the Luxembourg midfielder is on the verge of signing for Benfica from Mainz, since they were the first team to approach and submit conditions to him.

The Toffees had made a bid, although Nottingham Forest, Galatasaray, Marseille, Borussia Monchengladbach, RB Leipzig, Frankfurt, and Bayer Leverkusen were also interested in signing Barreiro for free this summer.

Despite several of these approaches being greater than Benfica’s, Barreiro had already negotiated an agreement with them, which, according to Fabrizio Romano, might be disclosed by the Portuguese side as early as Monday (1 July).

The transfer setback could be a blessing in disguise for Everton.
While Barreiro is certainly a highly rated player who has been sought after across Europe this summer, the Toffees may look back and be grateful that they were not drawn into a bidding battle to capture him.

The Blues have very little financial wriggle space this summer as they aim to avoid another season plagued by financial fair play difficulties, so paying out on excessive wage demands would be unwise [Kieran Maguire, May 30].

Going up against eight other teams for the midfielder may have resulted in a lengthy free transfer saga, but Barreiro’s early decision to join Benfica has stopped that from happening [Record, 6 June].

Furthermore, adding Barreiro to their roster may increase Benfica’s chances of selling fellow pivot Florentino Luis, with whom the Toffees have been widely connected [A Bola, 28 May].

Barreiro’s choice to avoid the Blues’ advances could open the door for another fascinating transfer scenario this summer, as the midfield stocks at Goodison Park endure massive churn, with Andre Gomes and Dele Alli already leaving and Amadou Onana certain to follow.

In other Everton news, an official bid has been made for a Goodison Park-linked star, with developments expected next week.

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