Why Everton would be signing one of Serie A's best in Mandela Keita

Everton have all the evidence they need to pull out all the stops to get a deal done for Parma midfielder Mandela Keita.

David Moyes has already made a number of transfer breakthroughs so far this summer, with three deals completed.

Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George have both seen their loan moves turned permanent, whilst their big headline capture of the window so far lies in their acquisition of Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.

Everton chiefs appear hungry to further bolster their engine room though, and 24-year-old Keita, who signed for Parma in the summer of 2024, is being widely linked with a switch to Merseyside.

Despite being capped by Belgium at senior international level, the central midfielder wasn't selected to the Red Devils' World Cup squad, and thus could link up with the Toffees straight away if a deal is done soon.

And, judging by the underlying numbers he put up in Serie A last season, Hill Dickinson Stadium chiefs should be doing everything in their power to make sure he's wearing blue next term.

Mandela Keita would bring grit and steel to Everton's midfield

Sport Parma have recently claimed that Everton, as well as Atalanta, have held talks with Keita's agent over the framework of a potential transfer.

It's said that a figure of around £21million might be enough to get a deal done, but the Toffees could reportedly see any deal effectively vetoed by The Football Association (FA), which appears to be related to complying with financial rules.

Everton do seem to remain hopeful of finding a workaround, and Keita's numbers show why they can't afford to give up on their pursuit of his services.

As per FotMob, Keita's 44 interceptions ranked him in the top 1.9 percentile of all Serie A central midfielders in 2025-26.

Meanwhile, his 73.8 per cent long ball success rate, 29 successful dribbles and 179 duels and 57 fouls won respectively, placed him in the leading 4.5 per cent of his positional rivals.

Keita also finished in the top 3.9 per cent for tackles won (74), 7.1 per cent for his 160 defensive contributions and in the leading 7.8 percentile for his 154 recoveries respectively.

It's clear then that Keita would be a fantastic addition to Everton's midfield from a defensive perspective, and would absolutely bring a bit of much-needed nastiness and physicality to this department.

Why Keita wouldn't be coming in as a potential Garner replacement

There was much talk leading into this summer's transfer window over the future of James Garner at Everton, with the 25-year-old enjoying a career 2025-26 campaign.

And whilst it does feel as though talk of a possible exit for Garner has slowed in recent weeks, Toffees chiefs will be on edge until the transfer deadline has passed.

Should Garner enjoy another similar season in 2026-27 to the one he's just had, then retaining his services beyond next summer may prove all but impossible for Everton.

Therefore, adding another young central midfielder in Keita could be perceived by some as the Toffees putting his eventual successor in place, but the Belgian's profile suggests that wouldn't be the case here.

As per FotMob, Keita took just 16 shots on goal from 37 Serie A games last season, whereas Garner took 45 from 38 in the Premier League respectively.

Keita also ranked in the bottom 35.7 per cent of Serie A central midfielders for chances created last term (11), whilst Garner created 56 and placed in the leading 3.7 per cent of Premier League players in his position.

We can see from this that the Parma star doesn't excel in the playmaking side of his game, whereas Garner certainly does, and so Keita may simply be a midfielder that Everton want to sign irrespective of what happens with the Englishman.