Everton's Andre Gomes has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for Italian giants Juventus.
Since returning from a loan spell with Lille last season, the Portuguese midfielder is yet to feature competitively for the Toffees.
That has come after Gomes was a regular in the Lille side last season, contributing to five goals in 26 Ligue 1 appearances.
After two brief cameos in pre-season, Sean Dyche has opted not to use Gomes since, but the club were unable to sell the player late in the summer window.
However, CalcioMercato claims that Gomes is now of interest to Juventus, who see the 30-year-old as a low-cost option to fix their current midfield issues.
Paul Pogba's impending doping ban and investigations surrounding Nicolo Fagioli's gambling habits suggest that the Old Lady will be without the two midfielders for the foreseeable future.
Fagioli in particular, has been a regular in Massimiliano Allegri's side so far this season, often partnering Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot in the middle of the park.
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Pogba, while not featuring much since his return to Italy, is another option the manager will be without, leaving the Bianconeri short on numbers in that area.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is one of the names who has been touted in Turin as a potential incomer to rectify that issue, but Tottenham Hotspur's £25m-price-tag is reportedly putting off any interest from Juve.
Gomes would be available for less, but his reported six-figure-per-week salary is also a stumbling block which has hit Everton in their attempts to offload the player.
The player will have just six months left on his contract at Goodison Park come January though, so the two parties may now find it easier to strike a deal.
After impressing the Everton faithful during a loan spell in the 2018-19 season, Gomes was signed permanently on a big contract from Barcelona.
However, within months, Gomes's season was virtually ended when he broke his leg against Spurs early in the campaign.
Gomes has never regained a regular spot in the Everton side and it appears that he is not in the plans of Dyche either.
After being named as a substitute on the opening day against Fulham, Gomes has not been present in a single matchday squad since.
Andrew Delaney
