Season › 2023-24 › News The Rumour Mill Leeds eye unlikely Godfrey loan move while Genoa want permanent deal Lyndon Lloyd | 24/01/2024 8comments | Jump to last Leeds United have joined the ranks of clubs reportedly interested in signing Ben Godfrey this month but only want him on loan until the end of the season. MailOnline suggest there is strong interest in the defender from Elland Road but they face a challenge persuading Everton to part with one of their only four centre-halves. Furthermore, the report suggests, the Blues would prefer Godfrey go abroad where there are, apparently, suitors willing to buy him outright. Atalanta are said to have made an attempt to sign the 26-year-old earlier this month but baulked at the terms and AC Milan have also been strongly linked but the Mail claim that Genoa, part of the stable of clubs owned by 777 Partners who are hoping to complete a takeover of Everton, are now interested. Article continues below video content Fabrizio Romano has lent credence to the report, tweeting that a deal for Genoa would "not [be] easy despite interest and direct talks [with Everton] as there are more clubs in the race. Everton believe there are better proposals incoming for Godfrey in the next days." Any sale would have to go through in sufficient time to allow the Toffees to sign a replacement as Michael Keane is the only senior recognised centre-back on the club's books apart from first-choice pairing James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. Reader Comments (8) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () Ajay Gopal 1 Posted 25/01/2024 at 04:04:35 If 777 are indeed going to takeover Everton Football Club, it makes sense to move around assets and money to maximise returns. So for example, Genoa ‘pays' Everton £30 million for Godfrey, enabling Everton to buy 1-2 players that will help keep us in the Premier League, it would make immense sense. If this happens, I am pretty sure that Holgate's loan will be cut short to add bodies to the defence and maybe take in one more centre-back on loan. Use this money to buy a winger or create a midfield player. Si Cooper 2 Posted 25/01/2024 at 14:24:27 Unless selling Godfrey ensures Branthwaite is going nowhere for the foreseeable future (dependent on not getting relegated obviously) then I'm not at all casual about this.I doubt Genoa could offer us a substantial amount more than any other offers without the authorities kyboshing it. Alex Kociuba 3 Posted 25/01/2024 at 20:43:59 Ajay, if 777 Partners bought us, would you still think it made sense if we 'bought' a crap player for an inflated price to assist another club and/or protect 777's portfolio? It all seems a bit murky to me. Dean Williams 4 Posted 25/01/2024 at 21:03:54 30 million. That's hilarious 😂 Robert Tressell 5 Posted 25/01/2024 at 21:52:59 Couple of random transfers caught my eye: both Bosman frees. Irish striker Kevin Zefi has joined Roma from Inter.Irish rb Sam Curtis has joined Sheff Utd from St Pats in Ireland.Both 18, both talented - neither may fulfill their potential but these are the sorts of players who I'm hoping we'll start to pick up before too long. Ajay Gopal 6 Posted 26/01/2024 at 06:25:53 Alex (3), if 777 acquires Everton, then EFC would definitely be the jewel in the crown - the 'cash cow', so to speak. The way to retain the value of their prize asset would be to ensure that EFC stays in the Premier League, and hopefully become more competitive in the coming seasons. If that means getting a £50 million player, one way to do it would be to sell a player at an inflated price to another club in their own consortium – for example, Genoa. It may seem like putting money out of one pocket into another, but if it protects their investment in EFC, this may be an avenue to make it happen – all perfectly legal, but the Genoa fans may not appreciate it! Matt Traynor 7 Posted 26/01/2024 at 06:55:24 Ajay, Genoa won't be spending £30m on anyone, and certainly not Godfrey. Mark Ryan 8 Posted 28/01/2024 at 12:02:59 Swap him and a case of lager for Gnonto. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. How to get rid of these ads and support TW Find out how to browse ad-free and support ToffeeWeb © ToffeeWeb