Premier League side plan €40m transfer raid for La Liga hotshot

Villarreal striker Thierno Barry could be on his way out of the club after just one season with the La Liga side.

The France U21 international completed a move to the Yellow Submarine ahead of the 2024/25 campaign from Swiss side Basel.

The 22-year-old has adapted smoothly to life in Castellon with 11 league goals scored as Villarreal snatched a UEFA Champions League qualification places after finishing fifth in La Liga.

Only Ayoze Perez outscored him in Marcelino’s team last season, with 19 in league action, and transfer offers are expected to roll in next month.

Chelsea have previously expressed an interest in Barry – with the clubs having a strong relationship following the deal for Nicolas Jackson – and a €40m release clause set in his contract.

Thierno Barry transfer latest as Everton make offer

Transfer expert Matteo Moretto revealed the Toffees are ready to activate Barry’s release clause as part of an ambitious move.

El Everton va a por Thierno Barry, delantero del Villarreal.

El club inglés estaría dispuesto a pagar la cláusula de rescisión de 40 millones de euros.

Las evaluaciones están en curso y aún no se ha tomado ninguna decisión definitiva.

— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) June 7, 2025

David Moyes is looking to bolster his forward line in the coming weeks with the injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin set to move on as his contract expires at the end of June.

Iliman Ndiaye ended 2024/25 as Everton’s top scorer, with nine Premier League goals, and Moyes is determined to add more firepower to his attack.

Where does Thierno Barry fit at Everton?

With Calvert-Lewin in line to leave, Moyes wants some freshness, as Everton start a new era at Bramley Moore Stadium.

Barry played the majority of 2024/25 at Villarreal as part of a front two with either Perez or Yeremy Pino.

His role will be tweaked, if he joins Everton, with Moyes looking for someone to play in between Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.

The lure of the Premier League will be a strong pull factor for Barry, but with Villarreal clinching UCL football, he is in no immediate rush to leave Spain’s east coast.