We expected Grealish to be the story of the summer, and it/he hasn’t disappointed, but not far behind is the quest to land a shiny new right-back.
We’ve covered Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Rico Lewis, Zakaria El Ouahdi, Djed Spence and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in one day alone, and that’s before you count Ben White, Guéla Doué and Raoul Bellanova, who’ve all featured on Everton’s shortlist at various points.
Eight names, one position, still no signing. So… every name still in play, ranked by likelihood, fee, and fit — updated as things move, which, given today, could be by lunchtime tomorrow.
🥇 Most likely: Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Genoa)
Likelihood: High
Fee: Formal bid of €15m (£12.8m) submitted; Genoa want closer to €20m (£17m)
The fit: A straightforward right-back signing rather than a repurposed midfielder and/or wing-back. Everton have moved beyond monitoring here — this is the most advanced deal of the lot, and the gap in valuation looks to be narrowing.
🥈 Live, but complicated: Rico Lewis (Manchester City)
Likelihood: Medium-high
Fee: Around £30m
The fit: Versatile, comfortable on the ball, exactly what Moyes wants — but Premier League loan rules mean Everton can’t have both Lewis and a second Jack Grealish loan unless Lewis comes in permanently. The best player on this list, if Everton can untangle the logistics.
🥉 Wildcard: Zakaria El Ouahdi (Genk)
Likelihood: Medium
Fee: Around £12m
The fit: Good athletic profile, comfortable further forward too. The complication is that Everton’s own owners, the Friedkin Group, also control Roma — who are reportedly prioritising the same player.
Priced out: Guela Doue (Strasbourg)
Likelihood: Low
Fee: Around £40m
The fit: Arguably the best all-round player on this list on output alone — strong numbers going forward and defensively last season. Strasbourg’s valuation puts him in a different aisle to where Everton are shopping, with Newcastle, PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Inter also credited with interest at that price.
Competing elsewhere: Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta)
Likelihood: Low
Fee: Around £17m
The fit: Solid, experienced, and at a fee Everton could realistically stretch to — but Tottenham and Nottingham Forest are also involved, and Bellanova hasn’t carried the same urgency as the front-runners.
Fallen down the pecking order: Ben White (Arsenal)
Likelihood: Low
The fit: Premier League and Champions League pedigree, plus the versatility to play centre-back too. But at 28, having lost his place under Arteta and with a serious knee injury in his recent history, this looks more like a name that got mentioned once than a genuine pursuit.
Fading fast: Djed Spence (Tottenham) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham)
Likelihood: Very low
The fit: Both were real contenders earlier in the window. Spence has slipped down the pecking order as Norton-Cuffy advanced, while Everton have stepped back from Wan-Bissaka, with Lazio and Arsenal now credited with interest instead.
Where this leaves us
If we had to bet: Norton-Cuffy gets there first on pure momentum, but Lewis is the name that would raise the most eyebrows if it happened. Either way, right-back has generated more transfer column inches than any other position at the club this summer — and given last year ended with Everton failing to sign anyone in the position after losing out on Kenny Tete, a queue of options feels like progress.