Everton have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Brighton striker Evan Ferguson to allow sister club Roma to sign him, but he could still end up on Merseyside in the future.
The 20-year-old has long been touted as an exciting prospect but failed to make an impact on loan with West Ham last term, and now Brighton are prepared to offload him.
Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport claims that Brighton have offered Ferguson to ‘dozens of clubs’ and Everton are among them, along with other Premier League sides.
The report states that Everton recently stepped up their pursuit of Ferguson, enquiring for a loan deal with an option to buy, only to leave the race.
However, David Moyes’ side decided against a move for the Irish international to give Roma, who have the same owners, The Friedkin Group, a free run at his signature.
The report suggests that Everton would be given the chance to sign Ferguson, should Roma decide to sell in the future: “[There is] the promise of potentially taking priority over the youngster if Roma’s director of football Frederic Massara were to buy him and then subsequently decide to sell him.
“In short, there is a synergy between the two clubs owned by the Friedkins.”
Brighton star close to sealing transfer
Brighton are thought to be close to giving Ferguson’s move to Roma the green light, with the interest also reported by reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.
However, Romano suggests that the move would be a loan initially, and it’s unclear whether it will include an option or obligation to buy.
“AS Roma keep working on Evan Ferguson deal as Brighton are open to accepting initial loan move,” Romano posted on X, July 9.
“Salary would be fully covered by Roma with talks underway also on player side.”
Roma would have to sign Ferguson permanently for them to be able to give Everton first refusal on his signing in the future, so the Toffees will be watching developments with interest.
A new striker isn’t a priority for Everton anymore, after they sealed a deal for Villarreal forward Thierno Barry, who has arrived for an initial fee of around £27m, plus add-ons.
TEAMtalk revealed on April 14 that Everton had been tracking Ferguson’s situation and it’s likely they will continue to do so, even if he moves this summer.
However, everything now points towards Ferguson taking on a new challenge in Serie A, where he will hope to play consistent minutes and live up to his lofty potential.
Evan Ferguson: Why Roma move has come about
By Samuel Bannister
While his reunion with Graham Potter at West Ham didn’t work out in the way Ferguson would have hoped, a move abroad might be the kind of new challenge that refocuses the striker and enables him to take the next steps towards fulfilling his potential.
Roma are building a squad for a new era this summer after appointing Gian Piero Gasperini as their new head coach. Gasperini has got the best out of strikers that the very biggest clubs probably wouldn’t have taken a look at before.
Just last season, he inspired Mateo Retegui to become the top scorer in Serie A. Previously, he inspired strong returns from the likes of Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel. Even Ademola Lookman, who was a winger when he used to play for Everton, Fulham and Leicester City, became transformed into a fairly prolific striker under Gasperini’s guidance.
As the 67-year-old coach adapts to his new surroundings, what is it about Ferguson that has caught his new club’s attention?
Once labelled a £100m asset for Brighton, Ferguson’s stock has declined in recent years. An injury he suffered in 2024 dinted his progress, before an underwhelming 2024-25 season in which his only goal was against Wolves in October.
A £100m striker, he seems to be no longer. But Roma aren’t in the market for – nor could they afford – a £100m striker.
Last summer, they spent the sixth biggest transfer fee in their history to land LaLiga’s top scorer from the previous season, Artem Dovbyk.
The former Girona frontman blew hot and cold in his debut season in Serie A, but despite all the turbulence around him – with Roma changing coach twice – he still managed to score a respectable 17 goals.
While Dovbyk hasn’t won everyone over in Rome yet, it’s important for the Giallorossi to have a useful alternative. But they’ve just offloaded last season’s deputy striker, Eldor Shomurodov, to Istanbul Basaksehir.
As things stand, it seems as if Ferguson is the replacement for Shomurodov in Roma’s vision. Offering power and presence but also more mobility than Dovbyk when in full flow, the Irish international could either play alongside the Ukrainian or rotate with him.
Gasperini hasn’t been averse to using two strikers simultaneously before and his Roma predecessor Claudio Ranieri did it towards the end of last season as well.
However, the expectation is for one striker to play at once, meaning Ferguson will have to be patient for his opportunities and make the most of them when they arrive.
The blueprint to follow in Rome was set a few years ago by Tammy Abraham, who after leaving Chelsea in 2021 scored more goals in his debut season for Roma than any other player in the club’s history.
However, Abraham suffered a decline in fortunes thereafter, which has led to Roma’s recent search for new strikers.
Romelu Lukaku led their line in 2023-24 before the Dovbyk deal, and now Ferguson is on course to become one of their latest attacking options.
Whether his stay could become more long term remains to be seen, but it will be a fresh start for a player who’s still only 20 years old and could have a big future ahead – in the Premier League or otherwise.
