Lampard can finally axe shocking Everton liability with “very talented” £9m-rated star

Everton could finally sell Jean-Philippe Gbamin this summer amid reports claiming the club are interested in VfL Wolfsburg midfielder, Aster Vranckx.

What’s the story?

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland recently revealed that Gbamin’s loan move to CSKA Moscow until the end of the season does not contain a buy option for the Russia giants, so the Ivory Coast international will make his return to Goodison Park in the summer.

That follows on from reports that the Toffees are keen on signing 19-year-old starlet Vranckx when the transfer window rolls around, and it’s a move that would surely allow Frank Lampard’s side to cut ties with Gbamin permanently.

Bye-bye Gbamin

Despite only being 19, Vranckx has been tipped for stardom by those closest to him, and it’s clear that after making the move from his native Belgium to Wolfsburg, he has already impressed those in the hierarchy.

The Bundesliga club’s sporting director, Marcel Schafer, said: “Axel’s a very talented player who became a first-team regular for Mechelen at the age of 17, and he can operate in different midfield roles. We’re very excited to take on his development.”

Indeed, Bundesliga.com had this to say about him and his style of play: “A holding player in his early days, Vranckx possesses the guile, industry and tenacity of Borussia Dortmund and Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel, but brings a bit more to the table in an attacking sense.

“If Wolfsburg can tap into his budding attributes as the club did so successfully with Kevin De Bruyne in 2014/15, the Auto City Club could have a very handy box-to-box midfielder on their hands.”

As per Whoscored, he averages an impressive 1.6 tackles and 1.4 shots per game this season in the German top-flight for Wolfsburg, and it’s that kind of box-to-box instinct that should have Everton fans excited – indeed, the teenager figures in the top five for both those categories compared to the rest of the squad.

With Lampard clearly not a fan of Gbamin and allowing him to leave on loan in January, this summer could be the perfect time for the Toffees to undergo a reset of their midfield.

Gbamin has featured just eight times since making the move from Mainz, with a mixture of injuries and poor form seeing him side-lined from first-team action, and has become somewhat of a financial liability for the club.

The £9m-rated Vranckx’s arrival at Goodison Park would finally allow Everton to get rid of Gbamin permanently.

Meanwhile, Lampard could find his own Mason Mount at Everton in this academy star…