Everton will look to sign a new centre-back this summer to replace a defender who’s likely to leave, while TEAMtalk understands they could also move for a Premier League left-back.
The Toffees are in for a busy transfer window in which 13 first team players could leave, with eight set to be out of contract and five loanees who may not be signed permanently.
One of the players who is set to be out of contract is centre-back Michael Keane, and sources state that he is unlikely to be offered a contract extension by Everton.
The 32-year-old came off the bench to replace an injured James Tarkowski against Manchester City on Saturday but played poorly, making multiple mistakes in his 40 minutes on the pitch.
It remains to be seen how involved Keane will be in the remainder of the season, but he will likely depart Everton as a free agent in the coming months. Jake O’Brien, who has performed well at right-back for Everton, could move into the centre-back position in Tarkowski’s absence, to play alongside Jarrad Branthwaite.
TEAMtalk understands that Saudi club Al-Riyadh have previously shown interest in Keane, but he wasn’t keen on a move to Saudi at the time. Wolves also made an enquiry for Keane in January but decided against a move. It’s unclear whether either side will reignite their interest in Keane this summer. MLS could also be an option for the 12-time capped England international, with FC Dallas another side to have looked at him.
Everton are already planning for the centre-back’s departure and have been looking at several potential replacements ahead of what will be a crucial transfer window for David Moyes and his team.
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Everton interested in three centre-backs – sources
Burnley centre-back Maxime Esteve has been linked with Everton in the past few months and TEAMtalk can confirm that the Toffees are interested in the 22-year-old.
Esteve could be a difficult signing for Everton, because Burnley have secured promotion to the Premier League and chairman Alan Pace will be very reluctant to sell key players like him. Esteve is the kind of profile Everton are looking for though – a young centre-back with high potential.
We understand that Nottingham Forest defender Andrew Omobamidele, who is on loan with French club Strasbourg, has also been scouted by Everton this season.
Strasbourg are in the driving seat to sign the 22-year-old permanently as they have the option to buy him for around €8m (£6.8m). They haven’t yet decided whether to trigger that option as Omobamidele has struggled with injuries this season, but has performed well when available. The expectation is that if he returns to Forest, they will sell him this summer. Leeds are also keen.
TEAMtalk can also reveal that Everton have scouted Basaksehir centre-back Jerome Opoku this season. A former Fulham academy player, Opoku was born in London but plays for the Ghana national team, having made three international appearances so far.
Opoku is keen on a move to the Premier League but is older than other Everton centre-back targets as a 26-year-old. He could be available for a relatively low fee, so the towering 6ft5 defender is a name to keep an eye out for.
Everton very keen on Leicester City left-back
Everton are also keen to strengthen at left-back this summer. Vitaliy Mykolenko has performed well since Moyes was re-appointed manager, but he is the Toffees only natural left-back option, so they need more competition for the Ukrainian international.
TEAMtalk understands that Everton are keeping tabs on Leicester City left-back Victor Kristiansen and are big admirers of the 22-year-old.
Leicester’s relegation to the Championship has now been confirmed and the Foxes could be forced into selling several stars as a result.
We revealed on April 18th that goalkeeper Mads Hermansen could leave the King Power if a bid in the region of £30m is lodged, for example.
Kristiansen could compete with Mykolenko for a starting spot at Everton and provide cover in left-midfield, so is another name to watch out for as the summer approaches.
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