Everton have been linked to yet another centre-back.
The likes of John Stones, Marco Senesi, Maxime Esteve and Federico Gatti have all been linked with moves to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as David Moyes looks for an upgrade on James Tarkowski and Michael Keane.
Africa Foot now state that Everton are also showing strong interest in Midtjylland defender Ousmane Diao – although Merseyside rivals Liverpool pose a real threat.
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Everton want Ousmane Diao
The African news outlet claim that the Senegalese defender is now on Everton’s radar, but the competition is fierce.
Liverpool are interested, while RB Leipzig have already seen a €12m (£10m) bid rejected for the centre-back. Africa Foot say Midtjylland hope to receive €20m (£17m) for Diao.
Eintracht Frankfurt, Porto, Benfica, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are also keen on signing the 21-year-old this summer.
It remains to be seen what happens, although there is a good chance Everton lose out to those at Anfield should both sides put offers on the table, given the fact Diao is a huge fan of Liverpool No.22 Hugo Ekitike.
Diao told Foot Mercato back in October 2025 that he would love to play alongside the France international at some stage, having been tormented by the Frenchman during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Midtjylland No.4 said: “Against Frankfurt, there were a lot of good players like Ekitike, (Omar) Marmoush. But Ekitike was particularly difficult. Honestly, I’d love to play with him in the future. His movement is incredible. He’s fast, technical… very strong.”
It seems a difficult deal to complete for The Friedkin Group.
A more realistic target might be the aforementioned Esteve – who Everton held talks with in 2024 and have monitored ever since. Moyes is even said to have personally scouted the Frenchman at Burnley.
Stones is also a free agent – so it should be quite straightforward to bring the England international back to Merseyside if Everton choose to pursue his signature.
Do Everton still need to add a new centre-back this summer? 🤔
If Everton want a new defender signed quickly, we would advise going for one of these two instead of Diao.
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