Amadou Onana update emerges as Everton eye Kalvin Phillips deal with Manchester City
Amadou Onana is expected to leave Everton this summer with the club eyeing a move for Kalvin Phillips to replace him, according to the Daily Mail.
Simon Jones reported via the paper’s website on 28 May that the Belgian star’s sale is anticipated to boost the finances at Goodison Park, with a loan deal for Manchester City man Phillips now being explored as a consequence.
Sean Dyche wants a midfield “presence” who has Premier League experience, and after a rough loan to West Ham in January the 28-year-old is looking to get his career back on track, having lost his England place during the recent struggles.
A return to Leeds United is seen to have been ruled out due to their failure to gain promotion from the Championship.
Onana, 22, has been regularly linked with big-money moves away over the past year, and that is reportedly now the expected course of action for the Toffees star.
Sean Dyche set for Everton midfield swap?
The perilous financial situation at Everton has long suggested that a high-profile departure was on the cards this summer, and Kevin Thelwell subsequently admitted there will be sales ahead of the conclusion of the season.
Jarrad Branthwaite has been coveted widely for most of the campaign while the likes of Jordan Pickford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are also possible targets.
But with Onana in and out of Dyche’s starting line-up through 2024 it possibly makes sense that if one big name has to be sacrificed it would be the midfielder.
Even a year ago a deal to bring Phillips from the Etihad might have been an exciting one, but after his move to the London Stadium proved to be a disaster on top of his struggles to break into Pep Guardiola’s side there are bound to be doubts around an Everton arrival.
But if he is available and affordable then he has proven his quality before and Dyche may view himself as the man to take advantage of a difficult situation.
Everton hoped to be the beneficiaries of another former England star’s diminished standing when they brought in Dele Alli from Tottenham for Frank Lampard, but the move didn’t pay off.
So Dyche will need to be confident he can succeed where David Moyes failed this season if a deal is done during a transfer window that is unlikely to be straightforward as the ongoing takeover questions remain unanswered.
In other Everton news, a contract development at Goodison Park has been confirmed.
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