Everton are pushing to finally sign a right-back in the next seven to 10 days as an intriguing summer recruitment drive builds to a crescendo.
On the one hand the Toffees have done smart work in the close season, striking an early and exciting deal for Hayden Hackney, who insiders believe has the potential to be part of the England conversation if he plots the trajectory they expect him to.
Christian Norgaard is a good replacement for Idrissa Gueye and at a decent price and wage level that allows the club to retain significant spending power under the Premier League’s squad cost ratio (SCR) rules.
It also feels like Everton have got the better end of the straight swap deal with Crystal Palace which will see Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil – who both underwent medicals at their new clubs on Monday – trade places.
But sources admit there remain gaps in the squad they hope will challenge for European football next season, and that means a busy end to a transfer window that could go “down to the wire”.
Right-back targets
The club hope that description will not apply to their move for a right-back, which is the most pressing of their priorities.
Everton have got a sizeable budget to address it but finding the right man at the right price that everyone agrees has – not for the first time – proved a frustrating problem.
Celtic’s Alistair Johnston emerged as a priority last week but hit a stumbling block over a difference in valuation of around £5m.
It is not totally dead but the club have had to keep other plates spinning in their bid to solve a long-standing problem.
West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka is another option. However, that move is considered a non-starter at the moment due to his wage demands being considered too high.
Genoa’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy has fans within the transfer committee though there is not universal support for a move, so Everton appear ready to press the button on other targets yet to emerge publicly.
The i Paper understands there is hope a defender can be added before the season opener against Palace on 22 August.
If they do manage to bring in a right-back, there is a feeling inside the club that they would be in decent shape heading into the new campaign.
There is certainly a better balance to the squad with Tyler Dibling starting to show signs of what he is capable of and Merlin Rohl emerging as one of the breakout stars of pre-season.
Latest on Grealish
Add into the mix the likely signing of Jack Grealish – that will be left until the last week of the transfer window as Everton look to extract maximum value from Manchester City over a probable second loan spell – and there is some reason for optimism at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Other moves would likely be more a case of jumping on market opportunities.
Another forward and a winger are possible, but only if something presents itself or one of Iliman Ndiaye’s suitors coughs up the £70m asking price for the mercurial winger.
It is understood that mooted interest in Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier will not come to anything.
The Cherries renewed his contract last season and have opted to follow a policy of not selling any of their established players this summer, with the 27-year-old part of a group considered untouchable on the South Coast.
Moyes tensions
All of these efforts are playing out against the backdrop of an intriguing managerial picture, with David Moyes entering the final year of his contract and in the conversation for the Scotland national team job.
There have been tensions over targets but there was never any chance of him leaving at the end of last season.
A longer-term stay may require Moyes and the new arrivals to hit the ground running.
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