Report: Barcelona covet Everton’s Koeman

Things have been going too well at Everton recently. Tabloids needed to put a proverbial fly in the too-good-to-be-true ointment. Just days ago, there was talk that Romelu Lukaku was headed to Chelsea.

Today, Ronald Koeman is rumored to be on the radar of Barcelona decision-makers.

Luis Enrique, the current manager at Barcelona, is out of contract in June. The club and coach have yet to come close to agreeing on a new deal. And Enrique made comments in December that have cast doubt on his Barca future

"I have no doubt that I'm at the best team, with the best club, with the best players.

“But there is also one thing about this job that is very hard, it costs me a lot and it's a negative that I have to factor in when considering the next few seasons."

Under Enrique, the Catalan club has been exceptional, of course. They have won the last two La Liga and Copa del Rey titles. And they were the Champions of Europe in the 2014-15 season.

Recently, Barcelona have seen the most success while being led by former players of theirs, Enrique included. Pep Guardiola was at the helm for four years and brought home just about every trophy multiple times.

Koeman would fit right in. The Everton boss is a legend at the Camp Nou, having played there for 10 years between 1985 and 1995 and serving as an assistant coach from 1998-2000. He even congratulated Lionel Messi via social media for breaking his club free kick record back in January.

However, these rumors must be taken with a football-sized grain of salt. The only source is Guido Albers, the agent of Frank de Boer, another former Barcelona player, who was recently sacked by Inter Milan after just 85 days in charge there.

Talk circulated this past summer that de Boer was a possible replacement for Roberto Martinez at Goodison Park before the club signed up Koeman. This could simply be the agent trying to stir things up out of thin air to create an opportunity for his client.

The Toffees are playing well and have an outside chance to finish in the top four of the Premier League before the season’s end. However, they are far from an impressive finished product. It would be quite the leap to go from where Everton are now to being in charge of one of the world’s biggest clubs, especially after just one season.

That is not to say it is impossible, but rather improbable. There has always been an overwhelming feeling that Everton is a career stepping stone for Koeman. But to leave so soon would be a massive disappointment.