Everton could be set to look back into a loan deal for Chelsea striker Armando Broja in January after it emerged that they could be open to his exit.
The Albanian striker was seen as a prime target by several clubs in the summer including Everton and West Ham, but both teams were forced to move for alternatives after Chelsea opted to keep hold of him following a successful loan spell at Southampton last season.
They furthered that faith in the striker by giving him a fresh contract at Stamford Bridge after the window closed too, with the 20-year-old signing a new contract that runs until 2028.
But despite that new deal Broja has found himself as third-choice striker at the club under new manager Graham Potter, with both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz ahead of him in the pecking order.
With his long-term future tied to the club for the foreseeable future though, a loan move away in January to see him get more regular football could be on the cards and Everton would surely be near the front of the queue.
AC Milan are said to be interested in a transfer, but with Chelsea having zero intention of a permanent sale according to Calciomercato (6 December) that would make the only possible option a loan, something the Serie A champions aren’t interested in.
That immediately clears the deck for Everton to try again, knowing that the long-term future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin is up in the air because of his fitness issues and Neal Maupay has struggled to find the net consistently.
Broja is someone that Lampard knows well, having given him his Premier League debut at Chelsea, and his mobility and quality is something that would fit in really well with what he’s trying to build at Everton.
It would be really difficult to convince Chelsea to sell, and they’d demand an arm and a leg, so it isn’t even worth trying at this point.
But a loan deal could benefit all parties, and give the Toffees a chance to plan in advance for the summer for when a striker will likely be needed once again.
There aren’t many better young strikers out there and with a low-fee loan it’s a no-lose situation. Any other signing that comes in will have huge expectations and cost far more, so it’s something the club should definitely look into getting done.
