Everton target Juventus’ Ramsey
Reports by TuttoMercatoWEB over the weekend claimed that Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey could make a return to the Premier League at Everton this summer, which may see Carlo Ancelotti fix a key flaw of his side.
Juventus are plotting a raft of changes at the Allianz Stadium after a tepid Scudetto title defence under Andrea Pirlo, with the Turin outfit 10-points behind leaders Inter Milan.
Ramsey’s performances are felt to have been decidedly inconsistent this season to raise the potential for a move away, just half-way through the £400,000-per-week, four-year contract that the Welshman’s penned on his arrival in 2019.
Everton are claimed to have made an enquiry to sound out Ramsey’s potential availability ahead of the summer market, but so have Merseyside rivals Liverpool and fellow top-four hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool had already been linked with the Arsenal icon who won three FA Cups during his time in north London, with the Reds allegedly viewing Ramsey as the ideal replacement for soon-to-be free agent Georginio Wijnaldum.
West Ham have also emerged as a potential destination for the 30-year-old, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his time in Turin with Ramsey suffering 11 separate lay-offs with various issues.
Ramsey’s relentless injuries are said to have pushed him closest to the exit door at Juventus, as it is becoming increasingly harder for Pirlo to continue justifying his absences after a low-grade rectus femoris issue ruled him out against Cagliari and in Wales’ World Cup qualifiers.
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With Juventus also hit hard financially by the pandemic, they may now look to cut their ties with the Welshman at the end of the season, having only seen him deliver six goals in 61 games across all competitions since arriving as a free agent.
Ramsey’s long list of injuries may prove worrisome for some of his potential suitors, but Ancelotti should back the £18m-rated maestro to prove his fitness like he did with James Rodriguez and bring him back to the Premier League.
Rodriguez joined Everton on a free transfer from Real Madrid last summer after playing just 14 times in his final season at the Santiago Bernabeu due to various injuries that dogged his career in the Spanish capital.
Yet the Colombian has been a highly influential presence at Goodison Park, with Lucas Digne the only Toffees player to be credited with more assists (6) in the top-flight this term than Rodriguez (4), who also ranks third on the scoring charts with five in 18 games.
But Ancelotti has been unable to correct a key issue in his side through Rodriguez, as Abdoulaye Doucoure is the Blues’ leading scorer from a deep-lying or central midfield position with two goals in 25 games.
Andre Gomes, Allan and Tom Davies are yet to score in the Premier League this season, and so has Fabian Delph who has played just 90 minutes outside of the defence thus far.
Ramsey departed Arsenal in 2019 on the back of scoring four times and providing six assists in 28 Premier League games, to leave England with a career 40 goals and 51 assists to his name.
That talent has not gone away overnight, with Gunners icon Robert Pires fully behind the 30-year-old.
“Every time he plays, he is very consistent, has excellent technique and is often well-positioned to score as happened on Saturday against Sampdoria,” Pirlo told Tutto Juve last month. “He made an excellent choice.
“I maintain that he is making a difference here too, because it is not easy to play in such a quality midfield. I think he can help the team and be decisive like Arsenal.”
It remains to be seen if Everton move for Ramsey and if Juventus are open to selling him, but the former Arsenal star could be the answer to Ancelotti’s problems.
AND in other news, Everton can potentially save £13m by turning to this Max Aarons alternative…