Toffees set to lose out on Molina as Roma swoop

Nahuel Molina is closing in on a move to Roma, according to Fabrizio Romano, in a development that appears to end any hopes Everton had of signing the Atletico Madrid right-back.

Romano reports a club-to-club agreement is in place between Roma and Atletico, worth €13m plus €4m in add-ons.

This report follows several days of Italian and Spanish media coverage of Roma’s pursuit of the 28-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract in Madrid.

Everton had identified Molina as an alternative to Celtic’s Alistair Johnston, Moyes’ primary right-back target this summer, according to earlier reports. But Roma turned to Molina after failing to agree a deal with Feyenoord for Givairo Read.

Molina, capped 65 times by Argentina, was part of the squad that finished runners-up at this summer’s World Cup. He joined Atletico from Udinese in 2022 for around €20m, and will now be expected to be a starter in Rome.

With Molina now set to move to Serie A, Everton’s focus is likely to remain on Johnston, or on finding a fresh alternative should that pursuit stall.

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