Udinese have opened up on their decision not to sell Beto on transfer deadline day amid reported interest from Everton.
A number of individuals emerged as possible targets for the Blues during the latter stages of the window, but no deals were done as new boss Sean Dyche was denied additions to the team.
The Mirror claimed Everton submitted an offer worth £20m, plus a further £3m in bonuses, for Beto, though this was 'dismissed' by the Serie A side who insisted paying the player's £35m release clause was the only way to prize him away.
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Beto has scored seven goals in 21 Serie A appearances this season and is currently under contract until 2026, leaving his current employers in a strong position when it comes to negotiating with clubs.
Udinese's head of scouting Andrea Carnevale has now explained why the 25-year-old was not offloaded at the end of last month, telling Sportitalia: "We turned down a very important offer for Beto from a Premier League team. We thought it would be better to keep him in Udine for six months. He's recovering from his injury and can still score many goals. Then maybe at the end of the season...
"He will have the opportunity to go and play for a big team, as will [Victor] Osimhen. A Premier team or PSG could take him. My advice is to stay at Napoli because he's already in a big team."
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