Everton wait on Maupay loan offer from Salernitana as Dia transfer nears

Salernitana plan to make a loan offer for Everton striker Neal Maupay despite the Italian side nearing a deal to sell Toffees target Boulaye Dia for big money, according to La Citta Di Salerno.

The Frenchman’s move to Goodison Park has proven to be a miserable one for both player and club, after just one goal all season.

The Toffees are straight back in the market for forwards again this summer, with Salernitana’s Senegal international Dia thought to be on their shortlist for months, but Maupay likely free to leave.

The Serie A club had interest in signing him before he left Brighton for Everton, raising the obvious prospect of a swap deal being worked out this summer.

But La Citta Di Salerno report that far from that, it appears the Italians are set to sell Dia elsewhere amid widespread interest, with the likes of AC Milan and Fiorentina after him, and aren’t even set to turn the cash into a bid for Maupay.

Spezia’s Mbala N’Zola is named as the potential target for the money from a Dia sale, while Salernitana wait on Everton to open up to a loan possibility when it comes to Maupay.

Last in line

In light of the lack of success in the transfer market at Everton over the past season it probably made too much sense for the club to be able to ship out Maupay and kill two birds with one stone by applying him to the push for Dia.

The 26-year-old scored 16 times in Serie A and assisted six more last season, meaning he was involved in the scoring of 21 times more league goals than his Toffees counterpart.

Maupay proved at Brighton previously that he isn’t that bad of a player but he clearly needs a more suitable environment, while Sean Dyche needs scorers.

So if it turns out that not only has Dia moved out of Everton’s reach, but the cash brought in for him – he has a €25m [£21.4m] release clause until 20 July [Calcio Mercato, 3 July] – doesn’t end up contributing to the transfer budget at Goodison Park it will be a very damps squib of an outcome.

A loan exit for Maupay would at least get him off the wage bill, but after a £15m arrival last year it would be another waste of cash that the Toffees basically don’t have to spare.

And in addition, Dyche and Kevin Thelwell simply have to start getting replacements in place if they are going to let the few attacking options currently at the club, no matter how ineffective, depart with Ellis Simms believed to be available for sale too.

In other Everton news, the club have now got ahead of heavy competition for one forward if they can make it count.