Everton fans still have around two months to wait until they're able to watch their beloved Toffees play at the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League.
Brighton and Hove Albion will be the first tricky visitors standing in the way of David Moyes and Co. on that memorable afternoon, with August also seeing the Merseyside outfit travel to Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in search of some early-season results.
Everton manager David Moyes reacts
Moyes will hope he's backed in the transfer window ahead of his side moving into their new home for good, with one transfer target now on the agenda that could boost the Scotsman's numbers in the midfield department.
The Toffees are yet to bring in any new faces this summer but with the window now in full swing, TFG must press on and strengthen ahead of their first game at their new home.
Well, as per a report by Turkish outlet Sabah, Everton has now initiated contact with ex-Manchester United midfielder Fred's agent over a potential summer deal.
The report does state that the Brazilian is well-liked by his current Fenerbahce boss in Jose Mourinho, but Everton remain keen.
fred-fenerbache-turkish-cup
However, the high reported price tag of £13m might well put off TFG, with the Turkish giants actually purchasing Fred for a far more modest £7.7m after his bumpy Old Trafford stay had finished.
How Fred can be Everton's next Doucoure
Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the South American when situated in the red half of Manchester, but if Everton were successful in their advances, they could be about to win an ideal replacement for Abdoulaye Doucoure, with the long-standing Toffees servant no longer on the books of Moyes' men after his contract expired.
It was a sad severing of the ties when Doucoure was officially announced to be departing Merseyside, considering the Malian had scored many a vital strike from the midfield areas across his 166 games, with that goal against Bournemouth definitely the most important one of his 21-goal collection in pushing Everton away from the perilous drop.
But, with his wage coming in at a hefty £130k-per-week as per Capology, it might well have been deemed a necessary alteration to make, with slightly cheaper alternatives on the table in Fred, who earns a lesser £113k-per-week pay packet himself.
Moreover, whilst Doucoure had enamoured Everton fans with his entertaining displays from the center of the park, Fred can offer that same goalscoring ability in abundance, with 14 goals and 19 assists collected for the Red Devils, away from his promising output of five goals and six assists in 2024/25 for Mourinho's titans.
Erik ten Hag would even go out of his way to label the 32-time Brazil international as "magnificent" when the pair were together at the Theatre of Dreams, with Fred no doubt also hungry to return to the English game to prove a point, having become a scapegoat during tough recent times at United.
Fred's career G/A numbers by position
Position played in
CM
DM
AM
RM
LM
LB
Sourced by Transfermarkt
To sum up his woes in Manchester, journalist John Deehan labelled Fred as a "headless chicken" , but his career and time in Turkey paint an opposing picture - especially as Everton hunt down a capable Doucoure replacement.
Indeed, the former Toffees midfielder would line up all over the midfield department during his lengthy Everton journey, whether that be as a number ten, as a traditional central face, or as a defensive anchor, with Fred able to offer that in spades too to ease Moyes' worries about his midfield depth in the wake of the ex-Watford battler's exit.
Fred-Manchester-United-Transfer
With 83 appearances and counting in both the Europa League and the Champions League, Fred's arrival on the scene might also help Everton push up the league standings in their fresh, state-of-the-art stadium, away from any future relegation scraps.
It would be a risk, considering the Brazilian had a reputation at the Red Devils for fading in and out of contests. But, as an option to bolster after Doucoure's departure, it could well prove to be an inspired signing.
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Everton have yet to make a signing this summer to bolster their squad.