Everton can hit gold with "vastly underrated" Ancelotti target, he won't cost a penny - opinion

Everton‘s Financial Fair Play issues could prevent them from spending big in a rebuild this summer, and even if Frank Lampard steers them to Premier League safety, he could be forced into sounding out bargain transfers, loan deals and free agents as the club look to get back on track.

The potential sales of in-demand trio Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jordan Pickford could provide the club with a welcome cash injection, but the fees earned from those prospective transfers may not all be reinvested in the playing squad.

With that being said, one player with whom they were linked in January will be available at the end of the season on a free transfer – Matias Vecino.

According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, there is almost no chance the Inter Milan midfielder will remain at the club beyong this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of June.

The Uruguay international has long been a target for the Merseyside club, first being linked by Gianluca Di Marzio in 2020 as then-Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti was keen on taking him to Goodison Park, while Rafael Benitez was also keen on signing him in the January transfer window according to Calciomercato.

Rated at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Vecino could still have a decent resale value which would give Everton an automatic profit if things don’t work out, and at the age of 30, it seems unlikely that he would want a long-term contract.

However, the midfielder would most likely be a low-risk, high-reward signing who would bring some much-needed fight into an already experienced team.

Once labelled a “very good and vastly underrated player” by journalist Adam Digby, the former Fiorentina star has started just two games in Serie A this season, averaging a