Football Transfers reports that Newcastle is expected to revive interest in signing Everton defender Ben Godfrey during the summer season.
The Englishman is seeking £9 million at Goodison Park; therefore, the publication reports on the website (3 January) that a deal is “possible” for the Magpies. Eddie Howe’s team is also thought to have “a lot more” of a transfer budget than they have previously disclosed when citing FFP restrictions.
Godfrey, 25, has only made three appearances for Sean Dyche so far this season. His contract is set to expire in 18 months, and he has also been linked to Tottenham and Roma.
The defender’s modest asking price further entices a trade, as Newcastle are reportedly “admirers of the defender’s flexibility to play across the centre of defence as well as at right-back.
Make money?
Given the club’s general financial situation, Everton may not be able to turn down a cash offer, but it could be risky to allow Godfrey to leave for so little. Everton will undoubtedly need to sell in order to acquire around January.
It is one thing for the Toffees to part with valuable players in exchange for large sums of money, but undervaluing their assets will eventually make their bookkeeping problems worse.
But under Dyche, Godfrey has dropped to fourth choice at center defense as Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski have become stars, and the manager has stuck with Michael Keane as the first reserve.
However, many supporters would find it unpleasant to depend on Keane for an extended period of time if one of the starters were to miss any significant amount of time.
The manager will need to exercise caution when approving Godfrey’s departure from Everton until a replacement is lined up because Mason Holgate’s time at the club appears to have ended and Branthwaite is drawing attention of his own.
The former Norwich City player believes that moving to St. James’ Park would be a wise decision, given that he has only made 18 appearances for the Toffees in all competitions since the beginning of the previous campaign.
However, Everton will undoubtedly need to get a respectable price for him if they are going to allow him to leave for the absurdly wealthy Newcastle.
