Everton are already at risk of losing recent arrival Beto, as a report has claimed him to be a target for illustrious Italian club Juventus.
Beto moved to the Premier League in August when Everton paid Udinese €30million (£25.8m) to make him their new centre-forward. Everton chiefs had been impressed by Beto’s form in the 2022-23 season, as he managed 10 goals in 33 Serie A games, and the Toffees managed to tie him down to a four-year contract.
Everton landed both Beto and fellow striker Youssef Chermiti to provide competition and cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Englishman has had two injury-hit seasons since 2021, limiting him to just seven league goals in that time.
So far, Beto has made nine appearances for Everton, registering one goal and one assist. He is yet to score in the league, with his only goal thus far coming in the League Cup win against Doncaster Rovers on August 30.
While the 25-year-old has not set the Prem alight yet, he has made a good impression on Everton supporters. His pace and strength makes him a real handful for opposition defenders, while he is also great at dribbling for a player who stands at 6ft 4in.
Beto’s ability was on show in the 3-0 League Cup victory over Burnley on Wednesday night. He came off the bench in the 68th minute to replace Calvert-Lewin and went on to register an assist.
Beto breezed past Burnley defender Ameen Al-Dakhil before setting up Ashley Young for Everton’s third and final goal in stoppage time.
Unfortunately for Everton, it seems they might receive a bid for their player in the near future. According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Juve have landed on Beto as a shock transfer target for next summer.
Juventus linked with surprise Everton raid
The Bianconeri, who currently sit second in Serie A, are expecting Dusan Vlahovic to pick up more interest at the end of the season. They have resultantly begun preparing for his potential exit by creating a four-man shortlist of replacements, and Beto features on it.
Juve officials already know Beto well as they were impressed by him during his time at Udinese. Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli even tried to land the Portuguese during his time in charge of Napoli’s recruitment, and he could now pursue a deal once more.
Beto is not the biggest name on Juve’s radar, as they have also earmarked Lille star Jonathan David, Atletico Madrid’s Alvaro Morata and Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen as potential options to replace Vlahovic.
But Morata and David will both cost more than €60m (£52m), a fee Juve will struggle to match. As such, Giuntoli could instead decide on Beto and Boniface as his main targets.
The report suggests that Beto could be convinced to leave Goodison Park after just one season as he is behind Calvert-Lewin in Sean Dyche’s pecking order.
A switch to Juve would clearly be an attractive one for Beto. Although, it is unclear whether he would push for a move away from Everton so soon after joining.
When arriving on Merseyside, Beto will have known he would be behind Calvert-Lewin in the striker pecking order. His aim is to usurp the former Sheffield United man and become Dyche’s No 1 striker, a challenge he appears to be relishing
