Everton receive clear demand from Palmeiras in their bid to sign Richard Rios this month

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Everton suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa last night in David Moyes’ first game back at Goodison Park.

The Toffees went close on a number of occasions but failed to take their chances, with Moyes highlighting Calvert-Lewin’s missed chance at the end.

Vitaliy Myokolenko impressed and James Tarkowski was another notable performer in the backline, so there’s plenty to build on.

Though, there’s still an urgent need for reinforcements this January transfer window and Moyes has admitted he hopes to spend some money.

With that said, it’s just emerged that Everton are looking at a midfielder in South America and have now been given a clear demand if they’re to land his signature.

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Everton told they’ll need to bid £16m to start talks for Richard Rios

According to Caracol, Palmeiras have told Everton they will need to bid £16m to start talks to sign Richard Rios.

The Brazilian outfit would be willing to sanction Rios’ sale but they won’t be lowballed and £16m is the base starting point.

The Columbia international has an £84m release clause in his contract, so Palmeiras are in a strong position to demand a sizable fee this month.

Everton will have to overcome significant competition from Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur if they’re to land the midfielder’s in-demand signature.

Rios stats vs Abdoulaye Doucoure

Should Rios complete a switch to Merseyside, he’d likely be competing with Abdoulaye Doucoure for a place in Moyes’ starting line-up.

So let’s see how their statistics compare.

Evidently, based on the statistics, Rios would be a massive upgrade on Doucoure and it’s clear he’d be able to bring more of an attacking threat.

Rios would be perfect for that more advanced midfield role that Doucoure currently operates in and his arrival really could help to solve the goalscoring woes.