Ben Godfrey is set to join Champions League side Atalanta from Everton.
Everton agreed to sell Ben Godfrey.
According to talkSPORT, Everton have agreed to sell Ben Godfrey to Italian club Atalanta. The defender, who has one year remaining on his Goodison Park deal, will join the Serie A club for around £10 million.
Financial Pressures at Everton
Everton are under financial pressure to sell players by June 30 to meet Profit and Sustainability rules. The Merseyside club admits that they will lose money on Godfrey, who was purchased from Norwich in a deal worth up to £25 million in 2020.
Interest from Italian Clubs
Earlier this month, talkSPORT reported that the 26-year-old was attracting interest from Italian clubs, including Atalanta and AC Milan. Despite AC Milan’s desire to lure the two-cap England international to the San Siro, Atalanta was successful in acquiring his services. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini, a noted Godfrey fan, had the defender on his radar during the January transfer window, but no deal could be completed at the time.
Godfrey’s Champions League Opportunity
Joining Atalanta gives an exciting opportunity for Godfrey, as the club is expected to compete in the Champions League next season. The former Norwich City player is anticipated to thrive in his new surroundings, following in the footsteps of other previous Premier League players who have excelled at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
Atalanta’s Premier League connections
Ademola Lookman, a key player in Atalanta’s Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen, has previously played for Everton, Fulham, and Leicester. Other former Premier League players at the club include Sead Kolasinac from Arsenal, Davide Zappacosta and Mario Pasalic from Chelsea, Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham, and Marten de Roon from Middlesbrough.
Since joining Everton in 2020, Godfrey has appeared in 93 games throughout all competitions. His outstanding rookie season earned him the award of Everton’s Young Player of the Season and a place on Gareth Southgate’s tentative Euro 2020 team. Despite playing in warm-up matches against Austria and Romania, he did not make the final roster.