Everton have successfully negotiated a deal to sign Brazilian teenager Reinier Jesus, who had also been a target for Liverpool.
The 17-year-old has not yet earned his senior debut for current employers Flamengo, but he has caught the eye of a number of top clubs across Europe with his performances at academy level.
The attacking midfielder has also impressed for Brazil’s U17 team, with the likes of Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid all thought to be monitoring his progress.
According to Metro Sport, Liverpool have also expressed an interest in Reinier, but it appears they have now been beaten in the race to sign the youngster by a bitter Premier League rival.
Esporte Interativo journalists Marcelo Bechler and Bruno Formiga have revealed on Twitter that Everton have agreed on a transfer fee of €40 million with Flamengo, with Reinier set to arrive at Goodison Park after his 18th birthday in January.
De acordo com @marcelobechler e @brunoformiga, Reinier está acertado com o @Everton para transferência em janeiro, quando completará 18 anos. A operação para tirá-lo do @Flamengo gira em torno de 40 milhões de euros. Clubes europeus monitoram e podem tentar atravessar transação. pic.twitter.com/umaFT3voUN
— Esporte Interativo (@Esp_Interativo) July 30, 2019
Metro Sport reports that AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund were also keeping a close eye on the Brazilian wonder kid, but it now looks like he will be plying his trade in the Premier League next year.
Liverpool might have seemed like a more likely next destination for Reinier, but at Everton, he will probably be granted more opportunities to advance into the first team quickly.
Jurgen Klopp has a plethora of attacking options at his disposal at Anfield, but Marco Silva’s squad is still a work in progress at Goodison Park, especially after Ademola Lookman’s departure to RB Leipzig earlier this summer.
If Reinier can show the same promise in England as he has in Brazil, Everton could have a new star on their hands in the coming years, while Liverpool supporters will be left pondering what might have been.
