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    Everton ‘have ambitious loan transfer bid for former Ballon d’Or winner’s son REJECTED by Juventus’

    EVERTON have allegedly failed with an audacious swoop to bring the son of a legendary Ballon d’Or winner to Goodison.Sean Dyche’s side are desperate for reinforcements as they battle for Premier League survival.
    Timothy Weah has snubbed the chance to join Everton on loan from JuventusCredit: Rex
    They have already been hit with a ten-point deduction for breaching FFP rules and could face another six-point one over the coming weeks.
    They currently sit one point above the drop zone but will enter the bottom three should Luton win their game in hand.
    Despite the financial troubles at Everton, Dyche is still desperately attempting to bolster his squad for the relegation war.
    The Guardian claim that they submitted a loan for Juventus star Timothy Weah.
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    The 23-year-old winger, who has 35 caps for USA, is the son of AC MIlan legend and ex-Chelsea striker George Weah.
    But he has no intentions at present of following in his father’s footsteps and heading to England.
    The report states that the player himself rejected the move to Everton despite him struggling for regular action with the Bianconeri this season.
    The ex-Lille and Paris Saint-Germain ace has mainly been deployed at wing-back and often restricted to cameos off the bench.
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    However, he would rather stay and fight for his place at Juventus than join Dyche and Everon’s relegation battle.
    Juve are currently in top spot in Serie A and sit two points ahead of second-placed Inter Milan.
    That advantage could be stretched to five this weekend when the Old Lady travel to Inter for a crunch clash.
    Meanwhile, his 57-year-old dad George starred for a host of top European teams such as Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan. 
    His success in France and Italy saw him win the Ballon d’Or in 1995 and he enjoyed brief stints in England with Chelsea and Manchester City.
    After retirement, Weah became a politician back in his homeland and served as the 25th president of Liberia from 2018 until last week.
    Elsewhere, Leeds have made an official loan approach for Everton’s Ben Godfrey.
    SunSport exclusively revealed Godfrey, 25, saw a £10m move to Serie A club Atalanta collapse as a result of the abolishment of favourable tax break rules in Italy.
    But Dyche has given the green light for the centre-back to leave Goodison Park as the club look to reduce their wage bill and help their case towards FFP rules. More

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    Leeds launch loan transfer bid for Everton defender Ben Godfrey after £10m Atalanta move collapses

    LEEDS have made an official loan approach for Everton’s Ben Godfrey.SunSport revealed Godfrey, 25, saw a £10m move to Serie A club Atalanta collapse this month as a result of the abolishment of favourable tax break rules in Italy.
    Godfrey’s move to Atalanta has fallen throughCredit: Getty
    But Everton boss Sean Dyche has given the green light for the centre-back to leave Goodison Park as the club look to reduce their wage bill and help their case towards FFP rules.
    The tax law, officially known as Crescita Decree, has been abolished.The law allowed high income earners from foreign countries a 50 per cent tax bill discount.
    Previously, it has been a big attraction for overseas players to join and increase the competitiveness in Serie A.
    The Crescita Decree is remarkably similar to the ‘Beckham Law’ in Spain, which allows high-income foreign earners to pay just 24 per cent income tax for their first six years in the country.
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    Beckham took advantage of it following his move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2003.
    But the Italian equivalent no longer stands after discussions in the Italian Council of Ministers have led to the rule being binned, making Godfrey’s potential rule too expensive for Atalanta.
    Godfrey has struggled for game time this season and has made just three appearances in all competitions for Everton, including only one Premier League start.
    Godfrey, who has 18 months left on his deal, has made 80 appearances for the Toffees since signing from Norwich in 2020 for £25million.
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    Ben Godfrey has struggled for minutes this seasonCredit: The Sun
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    He has not featured regularly for Everton, however, since a broken fibula forced him to miss the opening half of last season.
    Daniel Farke’s fourth placed Championship side are eager for new additions this month as Leeds push for promotion straight back to the Premier League. More

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    Frank Lampard reveals Everton star told team-mates ‘don’t accept that’ after Carragher’s Monday Night Football rant

    FRANK LAMPARD singled out one Everton star for praise following his brief spell at Goodison Park.Lampard, 45, was appointed as manager by the Toffees on January 2022 but only lasted a year after 12 wins and 24 losses in 44 matches.
    Frank Lampard looked back at his time as Everton managerCredit: YouTube @The Overlap
    Chelsea legend Lampard had ‘amazing’ help from Everton captain Seamus ColemanCredit: Getty
    Jamie Carragher issued some scathing criticism towards Everton playersCredit: Rex
    Coleman issued a rallying cry to his Everton team-mates that led to a turning pointCredit: Alamy
    The Chelsea legend had to steer the ship during a challenging time for the Merseysiders both on and off the pitch but had help from an “amazing” veteran.
    And that was none other than Everton captain Seamus Coleman, 35, who always stood up for the club to motivate his players.
    Lampard specifically remembered how Coleman reacted after some scathing criticism from Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, 45, during Monday Night Football.
    Carragher, who is a famous Everton fan despite spending his entire career playing for rivals Liverpool, said the players were “not good enough”.
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    But the Republic of Ireland international would have none of it and issued a passionate rallying cry to urge his team-mates to not accept that which ultimately led to a major turning point.
    Lampard told The Overlap via Sky Bet: “Seamus is amazing.
    “What a player, I remember playing against him and I didn’t really appreciate it until I worked with him – at that point he was 33.
    “It wasn’t just what he did on the pitch it was what he did off the pitch – his standards, his humility, everything about him.
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    “There’s not a bit of him that is not genuine, and he wore it on his face when we were struggling. He’d say, ‘I care’. He’d speak in front of the players on his own.
    “We spoke about you [Carragher] once at one point because you had a dig on Monday Night Football and said we’re not good enough – he used you as a reference point.
    “He was going, ‘Don’t accept that’. As players and managers we have to take some stick – but the only way to deal with it was to react to it.
    “It was a bit of a turning point for us – he was always the man to do that.” More

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    Everton suffer devastating blow as £500m takeover on brink of collapse just hours after Toffees hit with Prem charge

    THE £500million proposed takeover of Everton 777 Partners is almost certainly dead in the water.Or to be more specific at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea with the Bermuda Monetary Authority understood to have acted to place one of the American company’s subsidiaries, 777Re, under administration.
    Everton’s 777 takeover is on the brink of collapseCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
    The club are already facing a further points deductionCredit: PA
    The BMA action means finances worth around £2.4billion can no longer be accessed to complete the deal.
    There were already serious doubts over whether 777 founders Josh Wander and Steven Pasko would pass the Premier League’s fit and proper person test to become the Toffees’ new owners.
    777 have been given the green light by the Financial Conduct Authority but exactly three months on since Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri agreed to sell, the Prem have yet to see audited accounts from the Miami-based group – who also have interests in a clutch of other clubs around the world.
    The action by the BMA is not the only reported bombshell to have hit Moshiri, who on Monday saw his club hit by another Prem charge of breaching its profit and sustainability rules with Nottingham Forest also being held to account.
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    Investigative media platform Josimar also report that insurance company Haymarket is under investigation in Utah.
    Haymarket, which is understood to have provided the majority of its financial assets to 777Re, is under investigation for a suspected breach of financial rules by the US state’s Insurance Department which has the power to revoke its licence or put it into receivership.
    The moves from both financial authorities could effectively cut off any prospect of 777 moving into Goodison Park.
    At the same time Moshiri, who has invested £750m into the club since first starting to take control in 2016, could be left with no buyer and in charge of a club that is appealing one ten–point Prem penalty and now faces another which could add at least four more.
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    777 Partners are already understood to have poured £150m to keep Everton going and help fund the construction of the new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium which is expected to now cost far more than an initial £500m and which still needs around £200m to complete.
    The controversial American outfit have yet more financial woes to deal with.
    They are being pursued in the UK High Court over alleged unpaid aircraft leasing fees worth £22.4m.
    Yet that civil action is not even the half of it.
    Lawsuits against them total around £49m, including one worth £3.95m received in September last year for an unpaid security deposit relating to their New York office on Madison Avenue.
    It is also claimed that two 777 subsidiaries, Sutton Park Capital and Speed Leasing Company, took out loans worth a total of £8.85m last summer from hard money lender Balanced Management, based in Utah.
    The loans were agreed at an eye-watering interest rate of 52.5 per cent and guaranteed by 777 Partners.
    Yet it is understood no payment from them has been received by Balanced, who are now seeking damages of the money they lent, plus interest plus legal fees and costs over breach of contract.
    At a meeting with the government’s culture, media and sport select committee Prem chief executive Richard Masters confirmed any decision on 777 Partners’ takeover of Everton had been held up by unsatisfactory answers provided by the US fund.
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    Masters declared a final decision was still “weeks” away.
    But in light of the new financial allegations against them, 777 and the Bermudian freeze on the £2.4bn assets within the 777 Re financial framework, it is only a matter of time until the controversial American company either walk away from Goodison – or are told to do so by the Premier League. More

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    Man Utd star Hannibal Mejbri closing in on Premier League loan transfer with Ten Hag keen to get him playing regularly

    MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is edging close to a move to Everton, after Sean Dyche made the player his “number one target”.Hannibal rejected the chance to play for Tunisia in the African Cup of Nations to force through a January transfer.
    Hannibal is closing in on a loan switch to Goodison ParkCredit: Getty
    Hannibal has struggled for game time so far this season
    And Old Trafford sources say he is close to agreeing a Goodison switch.
    The source said: “Everton want the player and Manchester United are happy for him to go out on loan. They’d prefer him to stay in the Premier League as it will provide a better barometer and benchmark for his abilities as a player.
    “If he can go out on loan to Everton and make an impression, he could force his way into content at United.
    “He’s highly thought of at United and by Ten Hag, but he will get more chances at Everton. Sean Dyche is a big fan, and he thinks the player can give them a different edge to their game. He’s become the number one January priority.
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    “He also wants to bring in a striker and a full back. But loan deals are likely to be the road he goes down to beef up his squad.”
    Our story comes one day after Hannibal was linked with a switch to Spanish giants Sevilla.
    The Tunisian has been a regular in match-day squads this season but has struggled for minutes on the pitch and is eager to get further experience of first-team football.
    United recently triggered a clause to extend Hannibal’s contract.
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    He was the subject of interest from a number of clubs over the summer and had the chance to join Besiktas on loan but the midfielder wanted to stay and fight for his place under Erik ten Hag after impressing at Birmingham in the Championship last season.
    However, with United having been knocked out of the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, opportunities for Mejbri could be limited in the second half of the season.
    The source added: “It’s unlikely any loan move will have an option for a permanent switch. Ten Hag wants to assess how Hannibal does and then make a firm decision about his future in the summer.” More

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    Everton star Ben Godfrey’s £15m transfer to Serie A giants falls through due to scrapping of ‘Beckham law’

    BEN GODFREY’S £15million move to Atalanta has broken down after Serie A lost their version of the ‘Beckham Law’.The Everton defender, 25, looked to be heading to Italy this month after falling out of favour with Goodison Park chief Sean Dyche.
    Ben Godfrey’s move to Atalanta has fallen throughCredit: Getty
    The deal has collapsed after Serie A scrapped their version of the ‘Beckham Law’Credit: Getty
    Godfrey was Gian Piero Gasperini’s top target following a glowing reference from ex-Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti.
    But talks over the fee and personal terms have ended following the announcement that the law, officially known as Crescita Decree, has been abolished.
    The law allowed high income earners from foreign countries a 50 per cent tax bill discount.
    Previously, it has been a big attraction for overseas players to join and increase the competitiveness in Serie A.
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    The Crescita Decree is remarkably similar to the ‘Beckham Law’ in Spain, which allowed high-income foreign earners to pay just 24 per cent income tax for their first six years in the country.
    Beckham took advantage of it following his move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2003.
    But the Italian equivalent will no longer stand after discussions in the Italian Council of Ministers have led to the rule being binned, making Godfrey’s potential move too expensive for Atalanta.
    Now Godfrey, who has played three times for Everton this season, is back on the market with 18 months left on the deal he signed after joining in a £25million move from Norwich in 2020.
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    He has been limited to a single league start under Sean Dyche this term.
    The Toffees boss has instead preferred James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite during the current campaign.
    Godfrey has made just three appearances for Everton this seasonCredit: Getty More

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    Burnley launch probe after Everton fan enters Vincent Kompany’s coaches’ room before asking Craig Bellamy for a selfie

    BURNLEY have been forced to launch a probe after Everton fans accessed restricted parts of their dressing room set-up.The Daily Mail report that the fan was escorted away by Burnley assistant manager Craig Bellamy after he gained access to the coaches’ room.
    Craig Bellamy had to lead the fan awayCredit: Getty
    Dyche’s side emerged victorious on their return to Turf MoorCredit: Rex
    The fan apparently strolled from the away concourse of Turf Moor through an unmarked door which led to the dressing rooms at the stadium.
    The Everton supporter reportedly startled Bellamy and his other members of staff as they went through their final preparations for the game.
    An angry Bellamy escorted the fan away from the dressing room and to the concourse but not before the punter was able to grab a selfie with Vincent Kompany’s assistant.
    It is one of a series of issues the club are investigating on the night which saw Sean Dyche’s side leave with three points.
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    The club are understood to have been concerned with the late kick off time given tensions between the clubs.
    Burnley are planning to sue Everton in relation to the Toffees’ breaking FFP laws the year Burnley were relegated from the Premier League.
    The club are also set to launch an “immediate internal enquiry” after Everton fans managed to gain access to Burnley’s home end.
    Everton managed to win the game 2-0 in a massive victory for their survival aspirations.
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    It saw Sean Dyche emerge victorious from Turf Moor in his first visit back since leaving the club in 2022.
    Everton are now 16th on 14 points despite their ten-point deduction.
    Burnley sit on 19th on eight points. More

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    Maddie McCann’s mum Kate joins mourners at funeral for late Everton chairman and Coronation Street star Bill Kenwright

    MADELEINE McCann’s mum Kate today joined mourners at Everton chairman Bill Kenwright’s funeral. The ex-Corrie star tragically died in October – just months after he went under the knife to remove a cancerous tumour.
    Kate McCann today donned her Everton gear as she and the masses farewelled late chairman Bill KenwrightCredit: PA
    Missing Madeleine sported one of the club’s shirts in one of the final known photos of herCredit: Handout
    The youngster’s parents Gerry and were spotted at matches with KenwrightCredit: Alamy
    Today the masses gathered to bid farewell to Kenwright – including missing Maddie’s mum.
    The McCann family have always been massive Everton fans, with Maddie pictured wearing a club shirt in one of her final known photos.
    And today Kate McCann was snapped making her way into Liverpool Cathedral for Kenwright’s memorial service.
    She donned a blue Everton scarf, with another the same colour underneath.

    The mum and husband Gerry appeared close to Kenwright, and had been snapped in the stands alongside the chairman at Goodison Park in 2014.
    In the days after three-year-old Maddie disappeared in Portugal in 2007, the club rallied behind the McCanns.
    Former captain Philip Neville put out a plea, begging for the safe return of the youngster.
    MEN reported Neville, who is now the coach of US team the Portland Timbers, said at the time: “As a parent it is so hard to imagine the terrible time Madeleine and her family must be going through at the moment.
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    “I just want to appeal for Madeleine’s safe return. If anybody knows anything at all about the whereabouts of Madeleine, please contact the police.
    “My thoughts go out to Madeleine and her family at this extremely distressing time. I, like everyone across the country, just want Madeleine to be back safe in the arms of her parents.
    “Everton has fans all over the world and I know that they, along with everyone connected with the football club, are hoping and praying for Madeleine’s safe return.”
    Two years after the youngster vanished, the club launched an international campaign in the hopes of bringing Maddie back to the front of people’s minds.
    They printed thousands of T-shirts that bore the message: “We’re Still Looking For You.”
    The club printed 3,000 in English, and the same number in Portuguese.
    It was the late Kenwright who said at the time: “This is just our way of reminding people – not just in the UK and Portugal but across the globe – that this child is still out there somewhere.
    “If we can, perhaps, jog someone’s memory or breathe a little fresh life into the hunt for her then it will have been worth it. I know our supporters will wear these T-shirts with pride on Thursday night.”
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    Kenwright’s partner Jenny Seagrove and daughter Lucy announced they were “devastated” by his death in recent weeks.
    They said he passed away “peacefully” surrounded by his loved ones after a “long battle with illness”. More