Everton are in advanced talks to sign Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley this summer, according to 90min.
The Toffees are also in talks to sign Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi and Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour from the Stamford Bridge outfit, with manager Frank Lampard said to be a huge admirer of the 21-year-old.
They also remain interested in Albanian striker Armando Broja, but with Chelsea demanding £50million for his signature, a deal looks very much out of reach.
Everton have added Dwight McNeil, James Tarkowski and Ruben Vinagre to their squad after the departures of Richarlison, Jonjoe Kenny, Cenk Tosun, Fabian Delph and Gylfi Sigurdsson, but it does not appear that they are done doing transfer business this summer.
Good options?
Having strengthened at the back and on the wings with the addition of their new trio, the Goodison Park outfit want to bolster other departments, and Lampard is looking for quality midfielders and a striker to provide cover and stiff competition for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Barkley, 28, left Everton for Chelsea in January 2018, but the grass is not always greener on the other side, and he is reportedly willing to return to Merseyside as he looks to get his dwindling career back on track.
The one-time England international has not played for the Three Lions since 2019 and only managed to feature in 12 games across all competitions in 2021-22, scoring once.
He is clearly not the same player he once was, with a season-long loan at Aston Villa in 2020-21 not doing much to get him back on track.
Barkley is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, and with just a year left on his contract, Chelsea are keen to get something for his signature, and that appears tempting for Everton.
A return to Goodison could bring out the best in a player that was once tipped to dominate in the Premier League, but it is a huge gamble that could backfire given that he has struggled to string together a good run on the pitch in years.
The Toffees cannot afford to get it wrong with their choices in the transfer market this summer and going forward after wasting plenty of cash since Farhad Moshiri took over, and it is why also moving for Batshuayi, 28, is a high-risk one.
The Belgium international joined the West London club from Marseille in the summer of 2016, but he has spent more time on loan than he has at the club.
Stints at Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, Crystal Palace and Beşiktaş never materialised into a permanent deal, and while he impressed at his first and last loan clubs, Batshuayi has failed to convince in the English top-flight, and Everton should steer clear.
Lampard is looking to build a team capable of challenging for the European places, and Gilmour has the potential to make his midfield better.
The youngster did not particularly impress during his loan spell at Norwich City last term, but there is no denying his potential.
Gilmour emerged as the official man-of-the-match on his full debuts in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and European Championship for Scotland, and such a player has everything it takes to take Everton to the next level.
