Everton boss David Moyes has praised Beto's impact at Goodison Park amid reports linking him with a summer move to Leeds United.
It emerged in the national media earlier this week that the Whites are exploring the possibility of signing the striker as they prepare for life in the Premier League. Sky Sports suggested United have a potential transfer kitty worth more than £100m to spend on new signings and that any deal for Beto would make a significant dent in that budget.
The 27-year-old, who still has two years left to run on his Everton contract, is currently the club's joint-leading scorer this season. He has notched seven goals in 27 league outings to help the Toffees pull clear of trouble.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference yesterday, Moyes said: “He [Beto] has become a much more important player as the season has gone on.
“When we put him in the team initially it was mainly down to injuries. So, sometimes in football you need a bit of luck, you need an opening. He was so good, he scored against Tottenham, scored in the other games, he has been a real handful.
“He is looking a lot more assured and there are things we know he can do better. He is really trying to make a mark and let’s be honest, he probably has [done that].”
A new striker is understood to be one of the Whites' priority positions going into the summer transfer window, which reopens next month. Chairman Paraag Marathe has confirmed the club will spend every available penny in an attempt to buck the Premier League’s recent relegation trend.
“Whatever they will let us spend, we’ll spend,” Marathe told the Financial Times. “I can comfortably say that we are going to spend the very last penny that we can."
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