Carlo Ancelotti can cast Andre Gomes to the side and solve Everton’s creativity crisis with a winter raid on SS Lazio for rumoured target Luis Alberto.

What’s the word?

According to Il Tempo, via Sport Witness, the Toffees are monitoring Alberto’s situation at the Stadio Olimpico and could offer the former Liverpool dud a route out of Italy amid a dramatic fallout with his Serie A side.

Alberto is currently butting heads with the Lazio hierarchy after publicly shaming their decision to purchase a new luxury private jet, instead of paying the first-team their full salaries during the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

His public outburst on Twitch saw Alberto handed a fine worth up to €70,000 (£62.4k), and will soon meet with manager Simone Inzaghi to see it they can mend the Spaniard’s shattered relationship with President Claudio Lotito and Sporting Director Igli Tare.

Lotito and Tare were furious with Alberto’s outburst and immediately dropped the 28-year-old from the senior squad feeling he betrayed them, and are not expected to offer a recall for this weekend’s meeting with Crotone.

Alberto is very loyal to Inzaghi, who is acting as a mediator and is a staunch advocate of the Spaniard, but could be offered a move to Everton with Ancelotti eager to solve his side’s lack of creativity.

Sevilla, where Alberto grew up, are also interested in the £45million-rated gem who had started six of Lazio’s opening seven Serie A fixtures this term, offering one goal.

Move aside Gomes

While Alberto is said to be loyal to Inzaghi, who likewise harbours a high level of respect for the Spaniard, Ancelotti can solve his creativity crisis by bringing the 28-year-old to Goodison Park in the New Year.

Alberto just penned a new, five-year contract with Lazio in September after a top-draw 2019/20 campaign, with only Atalanta's Alejandro Gomez (16) claiming more assists than the Inzaghi favourite (15) who ranked first among all Serie A players for key balls (106), per WhoScored.

The former Liverpool flop, who managed just one assist and zero goals in 12 outings for the Reds in 2013/14, ranked joint-fifth in the Italian top-flight for successful (73) and attempted (107) dribbles, fifth for total passes (2,074) and eighth for shots taken outside the box (55) last term, as well.

His form in Italy has seen Alberto prove former Malaga head coach Javi Gracia right, having backed the midfielder to recover from his Anfield horror while with the La Liga side in 2015.

“He is talented, finishes well and scores goals,” Gracia said, via quotes by The Guardian. “He has a promising future. I have no doubt that he is a very good player.”

Ancelotti would no doubt adore having those traits at Goodison Park, where he has seen his current midfielders struggle to create chances with Abdoulaye Doucoure (8) ranking first among the Italian’s central options for key balls, Allan for successful (9) and attempted (14) dribbles and Gylfi Sigurdsson for shots taken from range (4) in the Premier League.

Gomes, meanwhile, is last for shots from outside the box (0), joint-third for key balls (3) and third for total passes (209) and successful dribbles (3), having played the third-most minutes (366) in the top-flight thus far.

It remains to be seen how Alberto’s crunch talks with Lazio chiefs Lotito and Tare go, and whether or not they decide to cash-in on the 28-year-old this winter despite his new contract.

AND in other news, seriously naïve comments from a Premier League hero show a “fantastic” Everton ace is criminally underrated.