From Argentina: What’s happening with Everton and Mauro Icardi

Everton have come out of the summer window with a pretty glaring problem up front, and Mauro Icardi has now been offered to the Toffees.

Thierno Barry is David Moyes’ only senior centre-forward. Beto eventually left for Fiorentina, while a late attempt to sign Folarin Balogun fell apart.

Barry has actually started the season well. He scored on his first Premier League appearance and then hit a hat-trick against Preston North End in the League Cup. The problem is asking him to carry the position by himself for an entire season.

In that context, confirmation now comes from Argentina that Mauro Icardi has just been offered to the Toffees.

Icardi offered to Everton

Reliable Argentine journalist Germán García Grova reports that Icardi has been offered to Everton. The 33-year-old is currently a free agent following his spell in Turkey.

For now, that’s all García Grova is saying. There’s no suggestion Everton have opened talks or made Icardi an offer. This is just an opportunity being put in front of them.

The thing is Icardi’s recent record at Galatasaray shows he can still find the net. He scored 71 goals and provided 20 assists across 122 appearances over four seasons. His best campaign came in 2023/24, when he managed 28 goals and ten assists in 42 matches.

The goals, though, have regularly come alongside headlines about his personal life and behaviour away from the pitch. That’s long been part of the package with Icardi.

Everton would therefore be looking at a proven goalscorer, but also a player who has rarely been far away from attention for reasons beyond football.

Can he still be registrated?

There’s also a route for Everton to actually get something done despite the transfer window being shut.

Premier League rules allow clubs to sign players who were already out of contract before the window closed, subject to approval from the Premier League Board.

Clubs can also add free agents to their squad when they’ve left spaces available. Everton certainly have those. Their post-window Premier League squad contains only 19 senior players, comfortably below the maximum of 25.

So, provided Icardi meets the relevant registration and work permit requirements, there is room for Everton to bring him in and register him.

A funny little Fiorentina connection

There’s even a connection to the striker Everton have just lost. Towards the end of August, Fiorentina were looking at several options for their attack. Icardi and Beto were both on that list.

They ultimately went for Beto, taking him away from Everton and helping create the shortage Moyes now has. Now Icardi, the other striker Fiorentina had considered, has ended up being offered to the Toffees instead.

Whether Everton actually fancy the former Inter Milan striker is another matter. García Grova gives no indication of their response at this stage. Still, Moyes could certainly do with another centre-forward.