Everton are set to take their summer spending to over £100m as the club eye a deal for Mainz's Jean-Philippe Gbamin to replace Idrissa Gueye, while the club remain in discussions with Chelsea over a move for Kurt Zouma.
The Toffees have so far spent £30m on permanent deals for André Gomes and Fabian Delph, while Jonas Lossl joined on a free transfer, with negotiations continuing over a £36m deal for Juventus' Moise Kean.
Following Gueye's £29m departure to Paris Saint-Germain, Marco Silva is eager to bolster his defensive midfield options and has identified the Ivory Coast international as the player to fill that role, claim the Liverpool Echo.
Talks are ongoing, though the Merseyside outlet say they are still in the early stages, with the Bundesliga club holding out for a fee of at least £25m. Silva's side have previously been weighing up a move for Southampton's Mario Lemina, although it seems interest has waned in recent weeks.
While in midfield and up front Everton have more options, they are keen on reuniting with Zouma at the other end of the pitch. The Blues defender spent last season on loan at Goodison Park, and The Times state discussions are taking place following his successful stint at the club.
However, given Chelsea's current transfer embargo, their stance on any potential deal may have shifted, with it likely the club would not be willing to sanction the France international’s departure given their inability to sign a replacement.
Furthermore, Zouma was quoted recently by the Mirror as saying: “I enjoyed my time at Everton but I’m a Chelsea player and we’ll see what will happens in the future. I think it will be here at Chelsea. This is a chance for me. I went out on loan last season but I’m a Chelsea player and I want to do well to get my chance and be here.”
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