Everton may already have been supremely active in the transfer market, but Kevin Thelwell is far from finished with his crusade.
Seeking to provide Sean Dyche with the strongest squad possible, filled with depth and quality, already he has made great strides towards that goal.
However, there are a few positions of interest that he might still want to bolster.
After all, with a new striker, winger and central midfielder added, the backline is the only area looking rather barren when it comes to new faces.
Fortunately, a new acquisition might just be on the way…
Everton set to bid for Jake O’Brien
That’s according to French outlet FerveurLyonnaise, who have provided a huge update on the Toffees’ pursuit of Lyon defender Jake O’Brien.
The former Crystal Palace man, who only moved to France last year, has already captured the attention with his stunning performances in Ligue 1.
A towering ball-playing defender with a penchant for goalscoring, Dyche will see his eyes widen at the prospect of acquiring another hulking goal threat to join his defence.
And, he has clearly sanctioned movement on that front, with the report stating that the Toffees are readying a bid for the Republic of Ireland international.
It reads: ‘Jake O’Brien arouses the interest of several clubs in the UK for this summer.
‘Everton is still on the spot and seems in a good position today, whilst West Ham United and more recently Nottingham Forest are also monitoring the situation.
‘As indicated this Sunday evening, Everton is preparing an offer of about 23.65 million euros (£19m) to convince OL, but the Rhone club would have set a high price, namely nearly 35.5 million euros to let O’Brien go.
‘A higher value that would be phenomenal for the Gones who invested a million euros on the young Irishman last season. However, Everton is not alone in the game and Nottingham Forest would also have been in discussions with their counterparts, especially after the transfer of Niakhaté to the Rhône.
‘One thing is certain, O’Brien could be the subject of a record transfer. Revelation of the season in Lyon, Jake O’Brien saw his value explode in just a few months.’
Other reports have suggested that Jake O’Brien actually wants to join Everton ahead of all other suitors.
Is this smart business from Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell?
Whilst O’Brien would join with a solid pedigree, having been brought up through the English academy system and earned valuable senior experience in France, it still marks a risk.
Especially given he has just 32 first-team appearances for Lyon.
No matter how transformative O’Brien proved to be for his current club, there is no guarantee that he would come in and prove such a huge worth for Everton.
Thelwell has been largely quite intelligent with his business thus far, but this might mark the riskiest move of his career at Goodison Park.
Thus far, perhaps he might steer clear if his upcoming bid is rejected.
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