Carlo Ancelotti must block Moise Kean from joining Paris Saint-Germain in a permanent transfer this summer as the striker could be vital for Everton next season.
What’s the word?
According to Fabrizio Romano in his column for CBS Sports, Ancelotti is hopeful of having Kean back at Goodison Park for the 2021/22 campaign following his year in the French capital.
The 20-year-old has scored 14 goals in 26 games across all competitions for the Parisian giants thus far this term, with his latest strike coming against FC Barcelona in a 4-1 Champions League Round of 16 win at the Camp Nou last week.
PSG do not have an option to buy the Italian inserted into their loan agreement, though Sporting Director Leonardo would like to explore keeping the forward in France having been in love with Kean for a number of years.
Everton are expected to demand a sizeable profit on the £29m paid to Juventus in 2019 if the Premier League outfit are to sell Kean at the end of the season, with a value of no less than €45-50m (£39-43m) expected.
Leonardo had previously tried to lure Kean away from the Allianz Stadium during his time operating a similar role at AC Milan in December 2018, when he made multiple approaches to the Turin outfit while the Old Lady considered the striker’s long-term future.
Juventus had also explored re-signing Kean last summer and are believed to be considering another approach at the end of the season, having failed to seal a reunion for the eight-cap international due to Everton demanding a return of the full fee paid 12-months prior.
Should Everton retain Kean?
Everton’s alleged valuation of Kean may prove to be an obstacle that not many sides – including PSG and Juventus – are willing to move in order to sign the Italian this summer, but Ancelotti should block any deal even if one offer comes in over the £39m requested.
Kean can play a key role in the Toffees’ efforts next season having rediscovered his form in front of the net after a dry and underwhelming debut campaign at Goodison Park, featuring just two goals in 33 appearances across all competitions.
Those performances are a distant record of the player he has become with PSG, where Mauricio Pochettino has not been surprised by Kean’s performances during his first two months at Les Parc des Princes.
“I was not surprised by the performance of Moise Kean in Barcelona. If I say that I was surprised, that would mean it was a bet. It was not a bet, we know his qualities,” the former Tottenham Hotspur coach said, via quotes by Goal’s Benjamin Quarez.
Former Italy international Federico Balzaretti also praised Kean following the Camp Nou affair, telling Le Parisien: “He is able to play anywhere [in the attack].
“He’s a modern, physical player. He has quite a few technical qualities, even if that is not his main strength. But when he is confident, he makes very good choices.”
As well as scoring, Kean tested Marc-Andre Ter Stegen on two other occasions and provided a key pass against Barcelona, bettering his average performances in Ligue 1 fixtures where he offers 1.9 shots and 0.3 key balls a game, per SofaScore.
Only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (2.52) is averaging a higher number of shots per game for Everton in the Premier League this season.
And with the Toffees in the mix for European football, with five points separating Ancelotti’s men from fourth-placed West Ham and with a game in hand, having Kean and his new lease of life back on Merseyside next season could see the striker take on a key role he rarely looked like securing a year ago.
AND in other news, Everton eye free transfer of £113k-p/w maestro who “always gives everything”…
