Friedkin takeover tipped to see Everton strike surprise deal to offload struggling attacker to Roma

Everton’s imminent takeover by the Friedkin Group could provide the Toffees with an avenue to offload misfiring striker Beto to Serie A.

The long-awaited purchase of the Merseyside club by a consortium led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin is on course to be completed by January.

And the timing of the deal’s expected ratification could work out well for Everton in their efforts to offload their under-performing Guinea-Bissau striker.

The Goodison Park club signed Beto from Udinese in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth £25.8million (€30m/US$32.8m), but the 26-year-old centre-forward has struggled to make an impact in England, scoring just five goals in 43 appearances to date.

It appears the Lisbon-born centre-forward is surplus to requirements with the Toffees, having seen just 43 minutes of Premier League action for Sean Dyche’s side so far this season.

And the fact the Friedkin Group also own a controlling stake in Roma has sparked reports that Everton could ship Beto back to Serie A when the transfer window opens in January.

Italian outlet Leggo reported earlier this week that Roma need a viable back-up option up front for big-money summer signing Artem Dovbyk, who arrived from Girona in a €38m (£31.8m/US$41.5m) deal. And Beto is named as a potential target, a theory also backed up by reporting from Il Messaggero.

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Everton’s Roma roadblock

However, there is a potential spanner in the works for Everton’s hopes of offloading the misfiring hitman to their soon-to-be sister club.

The agent who helped broker Beto’s move to Goodison Park in 2023 believes the Serie A side will not be willing to match the player’s hefty wages.

Speaking to Ok Calciomercato, the intermediary, Gabriele La Manna, poured cold water on the reports of Roma’s imminent move for the out-of-favour Everton man.

“He could,” La Manna said when asked about a potential return to Italy for Beto.

“Beto is out of Everton’s loop, but the problem is linked to the cost of his contract: the Toffees paid a lot for him and the striker earns around €3m.”

The notion that Beto is ‘out of Everton’s loop’ coincides with reports over the summer that the 6ft 4ins former Udinese star had been told to find a new club after his dismal form in front of goal in his debut season.

And it stands to reason that a return to Italy is the most likely next step. The powerful striker impressed in his previous stint in Serie A, scoring 21 goals in 62 games across two seasons with Udinese.

Bologna were linked with an interest in Beto before the 2024/25 season began, and now Roma have been named as potential suitors as they seek striking reinforcements.

Friedkin won’t fund forward addition

It is perhaps not the news Everton fans are hoping for, but any Beto sale will not necessarily spark an immediate move for a replacement.

As TEAMtalk has exclusively revealed, the Toffees are not expected to be busy during the January transfer window.

One reported top target linked with a mid-season Goodison Park switch is Silas Katompa Mvumpa, who is currently on loan at Red Star Belgrade from Stuttgart.

The versatile 26-year-old winger, who has scored twice from six appearances so far this term, reportedly has a release clause of €10m (£8.4m/$11m) in his contract.

But TEAMtalk understands Everton are not planning a move for the DR Congo international.

There have also been reports suggesting the Friedkin Group will look to replace Dyche at the helm when they take over.

But we understand that Dyche maintains the full backing of the Everton hierarchy despite the Merseyside club’s shaky start to the new campaign.

The shocking stats behind Beto’s Everton struggles

After his expensive summer arrival from Udinese, Beto’s first Premier League goal for Everton finally arrived on 9 December. Replacing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, he came off the bench as a late substitute and scored the final goal in a 3-0 victory over Newcastle at Goodison Park.

It was a result that dragged the struggling Toffees out of the relegation zone. And two weeks later, Beto hit the net again, this time against Fulham in the League Cup.

But that minor purple patch was as good as it got for the towering striker last season. He finished the campaign with just three league goals from 30 appearances.

Given that only nine of those outings came as a starter, his average of a goal every 313 minutes, although far from impressive, is slightly less damning. But the fact he struggled to crack the starting line-up in Dyche’s struggling side doesn’t reflect well.

What’s more, Beto proved brutally inefficient. His average of 3.93 shots per 90 minutes ranked in the 93rd percentile among Premier League strikers. But his return of 0.28 non-penalty goals per 90 was good enough only for the 36th percentile.

Beto’s saving grace last season was his work ethic. He ranked in the 85th percentile among Premier League strikers for clearances per 90 (1.32) and the 83rd percentile for tackles (also 1.32), while he used his size to good effect in the air, winning 4.45 aerial duels per 90 (95th percentile).

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