Porto directors in £13m sale agreement for Carlos Borges as Everton hunt transfer deal

Porto have set a £13million price tag for winger Goncalo Borges amid interest from Everton, according to the Sunday Mirror.

The newspaper reported in their print edition (20 August, pg 54) that Porto’s directors agreed on the fee for the 22-year-old despite manager Sergio Conceicao wanting to keep Borges.

The club are willing to listen to offers for the Porto academy graduate with the Toffees, West Ham and Braga all interested.

Risk

While risky transfers can often reap high rewards, Everton may not be in a position this window to roll the dice on a £13million youngster.

Borges is yet to score a senior goal for Porto and has only made a total of 22 senior appearances for the Portuguese side. That being said, he is a mainstay for Porto B where he has shown his exciting ability and potential.

The 22-year-old’s main skill is driving into the box from the wing and delivering crosses to incoming forwards. He is adept at keeping the ball while his dribbling ability allows him to beat his man.

However, similar to the Toffees’ new signing Youssef Chermiti, the lack of first-team minutes and experience leaves a little bit to be desired. It feels unlikely that Borges could come to Goodison Park and make an instant impact, so if he comes to Liverpool it may be a while before fans see him in action.

£13million could be a bit steep for the Toffees this window as that money could be invested into a player who could influence the side immediately. Despite Everton’s 1-0 opening day loss to Fulham, the team did a lot to reassure fans that this season won’t be like the last as they peppered Bernd Leno’s goal with 19 shots.

However, the fear of finding themselves in a relegation fight again will be in the back of Sean Dyche’s and the board’s minds, so perhaps committing bids for proven talent like Che Adams or Willy Gnonto would be more sensible.

While talkSPORT reported (19 August) that Southampton had rejected a £12million bid for the striker, it wouldn’t take much more to get a deal over the line. As a proven Premier League asset, Adams could do much more than Borges in ensuring Everton have a better season.

Fabrizio Romano meanwhile reported (18 August) that Everton will try again to sign Gnonto after their £25million bid was rejected.

That being said, risks can pay off and Borges could look electric in the blue of Everton.

In other Everton news, Michael Keane has sent a message to a retiring former Toffee.