According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Ben Godfrey is on his way out of Everton, with the club set to complete an agreement with Atalanta “in the coming hours”. The Sky Sports Italia writer wrote on X that the Serie A club was hoping to achieve a definitive deal with the Toffees soon, putting Godfrey’s move to Bergamo in action. Atalanta has raised their earlier bid to £8.65 million, with an initial price of £7.62 million paid for the 26-year-old centre-back. Godfrey has made just 30 appearances in his last two seasons at Goodison Park and looks likely to leave for pastures new in Italy after reaching a deal with Atalanta [Fabrizio Romano, 27 June]. Ben Godfrey’s Everton exit appears inevitable following the transfer update.
Godfrey’s injury struggles over the last two seasons have pushed him down the pecking order at Goodison Park, with only 15 Premier League appearances in 2023/24. His absences have coincided with the growth of players such as Jarrad Branthwaite, who has shot onto the scene this season and is now seen as an unsellable asset in Sean Dyche’s squad [The i, June 21].
With the Toffees attempting to stave off Manchester United’s overtures to recruit Branthwaite this summer, they appear considerably more willing to trade Godfrey to produce cash [Liverpool Echo, 29 May]. A deal for less than £9 million is not excellent value when compared to Norwich’s £20 million for Godfrey in 2020, but it reflects the Blues’ current circumstances.
Finance is at a premium, as it has been for much of the previous year, with sales of players such as Branthwaite, Jordan Pickford, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin being discussed, but Dyche would much sooner offload Godfrey to assist alleviate their present financial and sustainability difficulties [TEAMtalk, 22 June].
