With less than a fortnight until Everton’s Premier League season kicks off with the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion, the Toffees are still in the market for a new midfielder to fill the void left by a departing star.
Everton eye potential Onana replacements
The big news out of Goodison Park this summer has been the departure of midfielder Amadou Onana. The Belgium international had been a vital part of Sean Dyche’s side last season, however a £50million move saw the 22-year-old join fellow premiership side Aston Villa.
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He could be astute addition for Sean Dyche.
With a hole in their midfield and a significant windfall in their pockets, the Toffees are now on the hunt for Onana’s successor on Merseyside. The latest rumours have linked Everton with a move for out of favour Manchester City star Kalvin Phillips. A recent development suggests that the Toffees are now leading the race for the former England international, who is set to be shown the door at the Etihad this summer.
Another name on Everton’s shortlist is Habib Diarra, who enjoyed a successful season with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg last term. The 20-year-old is valued at around £29million by the French outfit meaning that it would take up a significant chunk of the Onana money to get the deal over the line.
With Everton eager to have a new midfielder on the books before the start of the season, it appears that the club are in active talks to bring a former Liverpool man back to Merseyside.
Toffees continue talks for Arthur Melo
As reported by Sport Witness, the Italian press are claiming that Everton are in ongoing discussions over a deal for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo. The outlet claims that the Toffees are joined by Leicester City in these talks as both sides attempt to ascertain whether the Brazilian would be interested in a move to the Premier League.
Everton have been linked with a move for the 27-year-old for much of the summer, with the Toffees now in active talks to bring the player to Goodison Park. The report by Sport Witness states that Arthur’s name is on the list of players not in the plans of new Juventus coach Thiago Motta, meaning that he is likely to be leaving Turin before the window closes.
Much of the Goodison faithful will remember Arthur from his disastrous loan spell at neighbours Liverpool that saw the Brazilian make just one appearance for the club. Despite this, the 27-year-old is still a talented player with even Jürgen Klopp singing the player’s praises upon his arrival at Anfield: “What does he bring? He’s a really good footballer – I think we all agree on that.
“He gives rhythm, he can give rhythm, he’s a really good passer, has speed with the ball, safe on the ball and, how I said, can demand rhythm, which is pretty important, really good in tight areas – all these kind of things. I like it a lot.”
With a new midfielder still high on Everton’s list of priorities, the Toffees could do a lot worse than signing a player with Arthur’s experience this summer, a Brazil international who joined Juventus for an initial £62m who may simply need a fresh start.
