Everton have announced the completion of negotiations to sign Charly Alcaraz on a 2-year deal for an undisclosed fee when his loan from Brazilian side Flamengo concludes next month.
The permanent deal will see the 22-year-old midfielder sign for the Blues until the end of June 2027 after he has largely impressed over a strange loan period where his starting oprtunities appeared to be limited by contract language in his loan-to-buy deal, which some say contained a mandatory purchase clause, with the conditions not met.
But reports claim that Everton decided to activate it anyway, with them paying around €15M, plus €3M in bonuses for the Argentine. And thedeal includes the option of a third year if another ‘contractual clause’ is met in the next 2 years.
The dynamic young artisan, and arguably the best ball player in a very limited Everton squad, was restricted to making just 7 starting appearances under David Moyes despite his obvious skillset, scoring 2 goals and making 3 assists. He made 9 other appearances from the bench.
Alcaraz began his career at Racing Club in Argentina before heading to the Premier League to join Southampton in January 2023, making his debut for the Saints against Everton at Goodison Park.
An impressive campaign followed, Alcaraz scoring 7 goals to earn an improved contract just 6 months after moving to St Mary’s, along with a call-up to the senior Argentina squad.
His ability caught the attention of Italian giants Juventus, who signed him on loan in January 2024, and he went on to win the Coppa Italia with the Turin club.
In August last year, Alcaraz joined reigning Brazilian champions Flamengo, scoring three goals and two assists in 19 outings and lifting the Copa do Brasil, before sealing a loan switch to Everton back in January of this year.