According to reports on Sky Sports last week, Everton will look to sign Swansea City midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson this summer if Ross Barkley leaves the club.
Last week, Toffees manager Ronald Koeman said the England international had until the end of this week to extend his contract that is due to run out next summer, otherwise he will be sold following the conclusion of the current campaign.
A story in The Telegraph on Tuesday suggested that the Toffees will demand a £50m fee for the 23-year-old if he is to go, and the Dutch manager will have already started to identify possible replacements for the England international.
One near the top of his list is said to be the Sigurdsson, who has played another starring role for the Welsh outfit this season as they confirmed their Premier League status for another year last weekend.
Here are three reasons Everton would be laughing if Barkley goes and Sigurdsson signs…
Money
If Barkley fails to sign a new deal and is sold this summer, Everton want to recoup £50m but it remains to be seen whether the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea would be interested at price.
If they are though, and the Toffees are able to complete a £25m deal for Sigurdsson that they are aiming to do according to the report on Sky Sports, they would certainly be laughing as the extra money would allow them to strengthen in the squad in at least one other area, and perhaps more.
Goals and assists
While Barkley has scored five goals and provided a further nine assists for an Everton team that has been challenging for Europe and comfortably in the top half of the table all season, Sigurdsson has netted nine and set up 13 goals for his teammates in the Premier League.
It is an impressive record considering Swansea have scored just 43 top flight goals in total this term and have spent the majority of the campaign battling against relegation to the Championship.
Finished article
While Barkley still appears to be progressing as a player – which is understandable considering he is still 23 years of age – there will be a feeling for Ronald Koeman that he will be getting the finished article if he replaces the England international with Sigurdsson.
The 27-year-old is in his prime, is more consistent, has more of an influence for his club and is capable of scoring a range of different goals.
He is also deadly from set pieces and that could be a crucial attribute for the Merseyside outfit as they look to make an impact in both the Premier League and Europa League next term.
Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.
