Idrissa Gueye is still waiting on his Everton deal to move forward. That delay has pushed Everton into the market for another midfielder, with Pape Gueye now at the front of the picture.
The issue starts with the contract Idrissa Gana Gueye signed last summer. He did not play in enough matches last season to trigger the second year, so Everton and Gana may still need to settle what happens next while his participation with Senegal at the World Cup slows the process down.
Everton and Pape Gueye
Matteo Moretto at Marca said Everton leads the race for Pape Gueye. The Villarreal midfielder fits a different profile, and the Toffees are looking at more than one midfield option while Hayden Hackney’s potential move remains up in the air.
Pape Gueye is 27 in January and has played as both a defensive midfielder and a more progressive central midfielder. He is also a much bigger guy than Idrissa Gana Gueye, and the report says he is not anywhere near the ball winner that Gana is.
Villarreal midfielder profile
That contrast matters because Everton are not simply chasing a like-for-like swap. Pape Gueye is closer to fitting the profile of a no.6 than Idrissa Gana Gueye, yet he has also been a centerpiece of Everton’s midfield on two separate occasions during his career.
The reported €55 milli price issue leaves Everton with a clear test: whether they can turn interest into a deal while the Gana situation is still open. West Ham United reportedly joined the fray for Hayden Hackney’s signature, which adds another layer to a midfield search that is no longer tied to one name.
Gana decision
Everton now have two moving parts in the same zone of the pitch. Gana’s second year has not kicked in, and the club are weighing whether Pape Gueye can cover the same ground without matching the same ball-winning edge.
