AGENT SAID EVERTON HELD TALKS TO SIGN £16M ACE AND STAR NOW OPENS DOOR TO MOVE

While Chelsea remain beset by inconsistency both and on and off the pitch, one of the few things that has remained relatively constant in the Clearlake era is the club’s commitment to scouting the best young South American talent.

HITC understands that Chelsea have agreed a £60 million package to bring in Estevao Willian from Palmeiras.

Nicknamed ‘Messinho’ due to his similarities with, well, you know who, Estevao follows in the footsteps of Angelo Gabriel, Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Kendry Paez across the Atlantic.

Seeing Chelsea named among the list of clubs pursuing Roman Sosa, then, will surprise absolutely nobody familiar with The Blues’ recent transfer dealings.

Chelsea took much of Brighton’s backroom staff when they snapped up Graham Potter in 2022, and now appear to be following The Seagulls lead while casting their net over the Paraguayan market. Sosa, capped eight times by Los Guaranies, is a target, a £16 million release clause in his CD Talleres contract (Hernan Castillo).

Newcastle United are reportedly following Sosa closely too.

Fortunately, when it comes to Everton, we have a little more proof. Something slightly more solid to go on.

“I was in England,” Sosa’s agent, Daniel Campos, told Diario Popular in January having held discussions with Goodison Park chief Kevin Thelwell. “I spoke with Everton’s sports director.”

Campos said that, at that time, Everton had not yet put forward a ‘formal offer’. Whether they do this summer, meanwhile, may depend on the funds available for a Toffees side who were docked eight points in 2023/24 for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.

Either way, a move to England certainly appeals to Sosa.

“(The interest) is a source of pride,” says the 24-year-old, who plays alongside Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron for Paraguay.

“There is a lot of talk about the Premier League. It is nice because (playing in England) is a dream that I have and I want to fulfil. I hope it comes true.”

Sean Dyche concerned by Toffees takeover

The right-footed Sosa can play anywhere across the frontline, on either flank and through the middle. He’s scored seven goals and set up six more for Argentina-based outfit Talleres in just 18 games since the beginning of the 2024 campaign.

The chances of Everton renewing their interest, meanwhile, could also depend on whether any progress is made on a long drawn-out takeover saga, or whether the on-loan Jack Harrison returns to the club from Leeds United.

“If the takeover doesn’t ­happen, or a takeover, then it will probably be juggling dust, not sand,” Sean Dyche worryingly told The Guardian a few weeks ago. “Because who knows then?

You are having to self-generate ­everything then, I would imagine, because it’s not like there is a pile of cash anywhere. So you’ve got to self-generate.”

‘Self-generate’, by the way, probably means selling Everton’s best players, Jarrad Branthwaite included.

“If you self-generate, it is a very tough situation because usually you sell high and buy low,” Dyche adds. “But when you buy low, who are you ­buying? And if you can’t buy then you have to generate from inside and that is a time thing. There are not many young players who are; ‘Right, we are ready for the Premier League’.”

Ramon Sosa certainly feels ready for the Premier League. Whether he is, however, is another matter entirely.

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