Everton waste no time to secure Idrissa Gueye replacement amid developments from Italy
Everton are set to lose Idrissa Gueye but they may have already found a replacement.
The Senegal star is currently away at the World Cup, but his contract expires on Tuesday.
The Blues are understood to be in contact with his representatives over a new deal, but his future is not secure and he will be a free agent.
Everton want Gueye to have reduced playing time, but it is not known whether the 36-year-old would accept that.
David Moyes' side may well decide to move on from the 134-cap international if the delay continues for much longer.
The latest developments from Italy suggest that the Toffees are wasting no time to get his successor through the door.
What are the latest Everton transfer developments that could affect Idrissa Gueye?
They already look set to add Hayden Hackney to their engine room, but it appears that they are not stopping there.
Sky Sports Italy reported that the Merseysiders have made contact with Parma over the midfielder Mandela Keita.
It states that they have also been in touch with the 24-year-old's agents, suggesting a move may be more advanced than first though.
Whether he will be an adequate replacement for Gueye remains to be seen, but the data is encouraging.
How does Mandela Keita compare to Gueye?
Mandela made 37 appearances in Serie A last season, whereas Gueye played just 22 times in the Premier League, per Fotmob data.
His availability would be a huge bonus for Moyes' side, and he also boasts a better passing accuracy, with an 88.4 per cent completion to the Hill Dickinson Stadium star's 87.3 per cent.
Defensively, Keita averaged 2.23 tackles and 4.63 ball recoveries per game compared to Gueye's figures of 1.84 and 4.88 in those metrics.
In terms of duels, he won 62.4 per cent of ground duels and 59.4 per cent in the air, with the Senegal ace having success rates of 56 per cent and 52 per cent in each area.
The move seems like a no brainer, given that he is already performing like that in another one of Europe's top five leagues.
If the Blues cannot agree fresh terms with the former Paris Saint-Germain, then the Belgian makes sense to take over.