Talks progressing between Everton and Manchester United for James Garner
Talks are progressing between Everton and Manchester United over a deal for midfielder James Garner, according to the Daily Mail.
The Toffees are looking to boost their squad before Thursday’s transfer deadline and the 21-year-old has emerged as a priority target in the midfield area in a potential £14m deal [The Times, 25 August].
Now the Mail are reporting [31 August] that talks are progressing over a permanent deal, as Everton look to secure three signings before the deadline with Garner joining a striker and Idrissa Gueye at Goodison Park.
Amadou Onana has already joined in that position, while Alex Iwobi has been in the form of his career since moving to a central midfield role. With Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure too, there are plenty of midfield options.
Tom Davies, Andre Gomes and Allan also are all still part of the squad and there have been no reports of an exit being close for any of them to leave the club and make space for Garner.
Stacked
Garner is a brilliant talent and a player who has proven that he is ready for the Premier League following his loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season where he helped them gain promotion.
He returned to Old Trafford for pre-season to try and impress new manager Erik Ten Hag but had an injury while on tour and wasn’t able to feature, before the arrivals of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro saw him drop further down the pecking order.
Now he wants to play regularly and is seeking a move away from the club, but Everton are far from a guarantee of being able to offer him those minutes.
With so many senior players ahead of him, it would take a big push from Frank Lampard to convince him he’d get the required game time over other potential suitors like Leicester and Southampton.
It’s an exciting signing if the club can get it over the line though and one to keep an eye on before Thursday’s deadline.