£40m star set to sign for Juventus before being offered to Everton and Leeds

Everton’s summer plans have been complicated by confirmation that they have been ordered to pay Burnley over £35m in compensation over PSR breaches, but the Toffees are still set to go head to head with Leeds United over the signing of a promising striker.

Everton were deducted 10 points in late 2023 for financial misdemeanours, a punishment reduced to six points on appeal a few months later, under the previous regime of Farhad Moshiri.

Everton finished four points above 18th-placed Burnley in 2021-22 but the Lancashire club successfully argued that had the six-point penalty for PSR breaches been applied that season then they would have survived at the Toffees’ expense.

“The impact of this verdict could extend well beyond this particular case,” Aaryaman Banerji, head of football governance at LCP said last week.

“The precedent that has been set is a seminal one – should a club suffer a sporting disadvantage as a result of breaches of regulations by other clubs, the negatively impacted club can claim for financial compensation.”

Angry Toffees officials lodged an immediate appeal at what they view as a “flawed” judgement, and the Blues are pressing ahead with their transfer plans while they await a decision.

The top priority for David Moyes this summer is a new striker, with neither of Beto or Thierno Barry seen as the man to take the club forward from the number nine position.

Everton have been linked with several strikers in Serie A, namely Parma star Mateo Pellegrino, and are also set to do battle with Leeds for the signing of new Juventus star Lois Openda.

Openda deal sparks complicated transfer battle

According to Football Insider, Everton have been offered the chance to sign Openda either permanently or on a loan-to-buy deal this summer.

Leeds are also in the mix, amid previous suggestions that the 26 year-old is open to a move to Elland Road.

Interestingly, the Belgium international is only set to join Juventus permanently when the transfer window officially opens on Monday.

Juve took the forward on loan from RB Leipzig last summer but inserted an automatic buy option in the deal that was triggered when they finished in the top ten in Serie A.

Openda only scored once in 24 appearances in the Italian top flight however, so the Turin outfit are keen to shift him from their books immediately after the deal goes through, even if only temporarily at first.

Juve paid €3.25m as a loan fee and are committed to a further €42.75m as of Monday, taking the total cost to €46m (£40m).

Openda, who can also play on the wing or behind the striker as a number ten, has scored three times in 33 caps for Belgium.