Everton in hunt to sign African forward, £6.8m could seal deal – BBC journalist

Everton are one of three Premier League teams interested in signing Troyes winger Mama Balde, according to Mike Minay.

The BBC journalist reported on his Twitter page on Friday [August 18] that Everton face competition from promoted pair Burnley and Sheffield United.

Minay added that a deal could be worth around €8million (£6.8m) for the 27-year-old, who scored 12 goals in 34 games for Troyes in Ligue 1 last season.

Everton are in the market for at least one new attacker with two weeks of the transfer window to go, having seen their goalscoring problems from last season continue into this one in last week’s 1-0 loss to Fulham.

A £12m bid has been lodged for Southampton’s Che Adams [Sky Sports], while Youssef Chermiti arrived from Sporting CP last week for close to £13m.

It also remains to be seen if the Merseyside outfit will officially go back in for Leeds United’s Willy Gnonto, having had four previous bids knocked back [Sky Sports].

But it may well be that Sean Dyche is financially backed to bring in another attacker, which would go a long way to resolving the biggest issue plaguing his side.

Balde directly contributed to 15 goals in the French top flight last season, including a brace in last October’s 4-3 thriller with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Guinea-Bissau international also ranked in the top 20% of all forwards across Europe’s top five leagues last season for dribbles attempted [The Analyst].

Available for potentially a bargain price, it is obvious why a trio of Premier League clubs are in the hunt for Balde.

Having scored at least five goals more than any Everton player last season, Balde could provide the final third spark the Toffees desperately crave.

Report: Everton now interested in 22-year-old West Ham target with £43m release clause

Everton and West Ham United are now showing interest in exploring a transfer for FC Porto winger Goncalo Borges with the versatile gem possibly available for a late deal.

That is according to The Guardian and Fabrizio Romano, with both claiming that Everton and West Ham are interested in signing the 22-year-old. The Toffees are big believers in Borges’ potential. But the Irons are exploring advancing their appreciation to sign the Porto product.

Romano also notes that Porto are potentially open to letting their academy graduate depart before the sales slam shut. Borges has been a part of the Dragoes’ set-up since the age of 14 after leaving their rivals SL Benfica. He has since worked his way through the youth sides.

Porto coach Sergio Conceicao handed Borges his senior debut in January 2022, as well. The winger has since amassed 23 first-team appearances. But he has only featured for a total of 254 minutes. The attacker has further never started in a senior game in any competition yet.

In part owing to only playing as a first-team substitute, Borges additionally has never scored or laid on an assist. He was a productive presence with the Dragoes’ B-team, however. After 78 appearances with the Estadio do Dragao team’s reserves, he scored 11 and created eight.

Borges further offered two goals through his 12 career UEFA Youth League appearances. But it was the winger’s B-team efforts during 2022 that established his path into the senior side. Porto even honoured his form with their best young star Golden Dragon award in December.

Now, Borges’ continued presence on only the fringes of Conceicao’s plans at Porto is inviting Everton and West Ham to show interest in his transfer. The winger only played nine minutes in the Supertaca Candido de Oliveira and did not play a second in their Liga Portugal opener.

Conceicao has long been a firm believer in Borges and rebuffed interest in his potential loan transfer last winter. O Jogo reported in December that the Dragoes boss issued a firm ‘no’ to any approaches from Vitoria de Guimaraes, GD Estoril Praia, Gil Vicente FC and CS Maritimo.

The Dragoes boss also underlined his stance by pointing to the €50m (£43m) release clause Porto inserted in Borges’ contract when he agreed to fresh terms last July. The forward, who can feature on either side of the pitch, put pen to paper on a contract running to June 2027.