Everton’s hopes of signing Andre Gomes given a boost

Everton’s hopes of signing Andre Gomes have been boosted by the news that Tottenham have pulled out of the race to sign the Barcelona midfielder.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were believed to be keen on bringing Gomes to north London after being impressed with his performances for the Toffees last season.

However, Sky Sports News reports that Spurs have dropped their interest and will move on to other targets.

West Ham are still believed to be keen on Gomes though. The Hammers had an £18million bid for the 25-year-old rejected last week.

Barcelona are hoping to sell Gomes this summer but are demanding between £25million and £35million for the former Valencia man. It is in their interest to stoke up a bidding war so news of Tottenham withdrawing their interest is a blow to them and a boost to the Blues.

If it is a straight fight between Everton and West Ham then the Toffees should be confident of securing Gomes’ signature given there is little they can offer that they can’t, aside from living in the capital.

That may prove to be a significant draw, as it so often is to foreign players, though I also hope the way Gomes embraced life at Goodison Park will count for a lot.

My gut feeling is that Gomes will end up back at Goodison, but there’s still some negotiations to be done before the deal is sealed.