Everton: Koulibaly bid; new director of football; 23-year-old linked with Chelsea

Add as preferred source on Google

Reports in Italy suggest that Everton are attempting to make Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly their record signing with a bid of £46 million being submitted for the defender this week.

With constant speculation linking John Stones with a move to Manchester City this summer, Toffees boss Ronald Koeman appears to be eyeing up potential replacements for the England defender. Chelsea are also interested in Koulibaly and although his current club wish to keep him, a bidding war may now ensue between the two English clubs.

The Senegalese international joined Napoli in 2014 from Racing Genk and has gone on to become one of Serie A’s best defenders. He excelled last season in particular, when the Partenopei finished runners-up to Juventus and subsequently qualified for the Champions League.

Embed from Getty Images

With Everton now backed by the vast wealth of Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri, Koeman will be looking to splash the cash in order to strengthen a squad that could only finish 11th last season. The club’s previous transfer record was the £28 million spent on Romelu Lukaku in 2014, but if the latest reports are to be believed then they will be smashing this by quite some way should they manage to complete the signing of Koulibaly.

Meanwhile, on the subject of Lukaku, the Daily Mail are reporting that Chelsea are considering a sensational £60 million bid for Belgian forward after becoming frustrated in their pursuit of Alvaro Morata.

The 23-year old was with originally at the Blues but left for Goodison Park in 2014 and has since gone on to score 28 goals in 73 Premier League games for the Toffees. However, Lukaku has been heavily linked with a move away from the club during the transfer window, with Paris Saint-Germain originally thought to be favourites to land his signature. He has since been linked with a move to both Chelsea and Arsenal, and his new manager certainly has a battle on his hands if he is to keep hold of his primary goal threat.

Embed from Getty Images

A return to Stamford Bridge would surprise many, and would be a colossal blow for the Merseysiders, who relied heavily on the Belgium international for goals last season. Strikers capable of scoring 20 goals a season do not come around too often, particularly for the likes of Everton, and they would find it difficult to replace him before the season begins in just over three weeks.

Finally, Everton are supposedly close to announcing the appointment of Steve Walsh as director of football. The 51-year-old is currently Leicester City’s assistant manager and head of recruitment, and has been credited with discovering the likes of N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez for the Foxes.

His departure would be a huge loss for the Premier League champions, but would ultimately be Everton’s gain. Although Walsh signed a new contract just two months ago, he has been targeted by a number of clubs for months, as they attempt to replicate Leicester’s success. If reports are to be believed then a compensation package is reportedly in the process of being agreed with his current club and the appointment should be announced within the coming days.

Embed from Getty Images

It had been claimed previously that the Toffees had originally targeted Sevilla director of football, Monchi, for the role but began to look elsewhere after discovering the huge release clause in his contract with the Europe League winners.

The announcement comes at an exciting time for Everton supporters as Ronald Koeman looks to dive into the transfer market in order to make his mark on his new side. The only player that has arrived at Goodison Park this summer is Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, but with the assistance of Walsh and his ability to unearth a gem or two it is only a matter of time before the next signing.

Featured image: all rights reserved by United News Fan Club