Everton are competing with two Premier League rivals to sign exciting Japanese winger Keito Nakamura, who has reportedly struck an agreement with his club that he can leave for £25.1million this summer.
David Moyes’ side officially announced their first major signing of the transfer window on Thursday – the arrival of Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.
We revealed that Everton were leading contenders to sign Hackney back in April and the club battled hard to secure his signature, having agreed to pay Boro an initial £16.5million for the 24-year-old.
TEAMtalk also understands that Everton are set to sign Tyrique George permanently following his loan from Chelsea last season.
The Toffees had the option to sign the 20-year-old permanently for £25million as per their loan agreement, but have negotiated a lower initial fee with the London club, believed to be around £20million, as we reported on Tuesday.
A club-to-club agreement has now been reached and sealing personal terms with George is the next step for Everton. That is not expected to be an issue.
However, Everton won’t stop there. Interestingly, BBC Sport reports that another winger, Nakamura, is also on the club’s shortlist.
It’s claimed that the 25-year-old has an agreement with his club, Stade Reims, that he will be allowed to leave this summer if an offer of around £25.1million arrives. This comes after Reims narrowly missed out on relegation from Ligue 2 to the French top flight last season.
READ NEXT– Everton complete Hayden Hackney transfer coup – sublime strike on Man City lined up next
Everton keen on signing two of Japan’s World Cup stars
Nakamura, who generally plays as a left-winger, notched 14 goals in 31 league appearances for Reims.
He also impressed for Japan in the World Cup, scoring in a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands and providing an assist in a 4-0 win over Tunisia.
The report says that Everton, Bournemouth and Fulham are all interested in Nakamura.
The Toffees are said to have made contract with the player’s entourage to enquire about the conditions of a deal, but would need to ‘see attackers leave before making a move.’
As TEAMtalk has previously reported, it’s likely that Dwight McNeil could be on his way out of Everton this summer.
The 26-year-old came very close to joining Crystal Palace in the January window before the move dramatically collapsed.
Moyes’ side are open to offers once again, with West Ham interested. Nakamura could therefore be signed to replace the ex-Burnley winger.
It’s also worth noting that Everton still want to retain Jack Grealish, too, following his loan from Man City. Negotiations over a move for Grealish – and potentially another loan deal – are set to ramp up in the near future.
Interestingly, Nakamura isn’t the only Japanese international that Everton have their eye on.
TEAMtalk revealed back in April that the Toffees are admirers of Japan and Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda.
The 27-year-old scored 26 goals across all competitions for Feyenoord in 2025/26 and twice for Japan in the World Cup.
Ueda remains under consideration by Everton, but a move for him could depend on whether Thierno Barry or Beto leave the Merseysiders.
Want more breaking news and transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Googleto your favourites list for news you can trust.