Everton could reignite their interest in Udinese forward Beto Betuncal this summer as Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell look to address the Blues' woes in the final third, according to reports.
The Portuguese forward had been linked with a mid-season switch to Goodison Park last month as Everton missed out on the signing of Arnaut Danjuma after Tottenham Hotspur made a late play for the Villarreal winger, while Newcastle United completed the signing of Anthony Gordon for a fee of £45m.
Failure to bring in a replacement of any kind has left Dyche facing an uphill fight to keep the Blues in the Premier League this season, with the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin's importance once again highlighted during his absence in Monday's Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool.
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However, Beto, 25, could be heading to Merseyside later this year as Everton continue to scout the Serie A star, who has seven goals in the league this season, according to Italian publication Tutto Udinese.
Udinese currently sit eighth in the table and could make a late surge towards the European places if Beto is able to continue to produce the goods in the final third of the pitch. According to the Mirror, the Dacia Arena outfit swiftly rejected the Blues' opening offer of £20m last month, with officials at the Italian club reportedly holding out for a fee in the region of £35m - which Everton refused to cough up for a player who is yet to be capped internationally.
But fresh reports from Tutto Udinese now claim Beto could depart later this year for as little as £22m, with the Serie A outfit said to be keen to raise funds for Spezia's M'Bala Nzola.
The report comes just days after Udinese's head of scouting, Andrea Carnevale, revealed why the club turned down an offer from an unnamed Premier League, thought to be Everton, during the January transfer window.
"We turned down a very important offer for Beto from a Premier League team," Carnevale told Sportitalia. "We thought it would be better to keep him in Udine for six months. He's recovering from his injury and can still score many goals. Then maybe at the end of the season...
"He will have the opportunity to go and play for a big team, as will [Victor] Osimhen. A Premier team or PSG could take him. My advice is to stay at Napoli because he's already in a big team."
Sean Dyche's men welcome Leeds United to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon and could be without Calvert-Lewin once, meaning 22-year-old Ellis Simms, who was on loan at Championship side Sunderland for the first half of the campaign, could be handed just his second Premier League start for Everton, with Neal Maupay yet to impress since moving to Merseyside last summer.
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