Everton have made a late move to sign Chelsea striker Armando Broja on a season-long loan with an option to buy for £30 million, according to The Athletic.
The summer transfer window has officially closed, but the Goodison Park club managed to submit a deal sheet before the 11pm deadline and now have until 1am to complete the move.
Everton are long-term admirers of Broja, and he will be keen to prove himself on Merseyside having been told he has no future at the Stamford Bridge club.
The 22-year-old was close to joining newly-promoted Ipswich Town today, but the Tractor Boys pulled out of a deal after they refused to accept Chelsea’s terms given the amount of time Broja is likely to be unavailable for because of an injury.
A foot injury is expected to keep the Everton target out of action until mid-October, but the Toffees are happy to land him nonetheless.
The England-born striker will hope to finally get his career running following some injury woes and frustrating loan spells, and joining the Goodison Park club is offering him another opportunity.
Broja made his professional debut in March 2020 in a Premier League win against Everton, but spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan with Vitesse, bagging 11 goals in 34 games.
He moved to Southampton on loan for the 2021-22 campaign, scoring nine goals in 38 before returning to Chelsea for the 2022-23 season, but he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in December 2022, which kept him out until September 2023.
Broja played 19 games for the Blues in 2023-24, scoring twice before leaving again on loan in January 2024, joining Fulham, but he got to play just eight times and will hope to get plenty of playing opportunities under manager Sean Dyche at Everton.
