Everton manager David Moyes is eyeing a rare raid on Liverpool after joining other Premier League clubs in the race for a talented forward, according to shock reports.
The last player to move directly from Liverpool to Everton was Gary Ablett in January 1992 – a time when the likes of Ian Rush and John Barnes were still playing for the Reds, Steven Gerrard was still in the academy, six years away from his first-team debut, and Jamie Carragher still supported the blue half of the city. But if Moyes gets his way, someone else could tread the same path more than 30 years later.
The Everton boss is currently preparing for a major summer rebuild ahead of the club’s new era in their new stadium – and the Toffees could try and get someone else to make their own move across Merseyside.
The Liverpool player that has reportedly cropped up onto Everton’s radar is Ben Doak, who was developing on loan at Middlesbrough earlier this season before an injury in January halted his progress.
Liverpool stood firm to reject bids from Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town for Doak before then in January, so it remains to be seen how they would respond to interest from their local rivals.
But Doak is being described as a ‘priority’ target for his compatriot Moyes by The Scottish Sun, whose report claims the Everton boss wants to add his ‘pace and trickery’ to his squad.
Former Celtic talent Doak has only made 10 appearances for his parent club, but they are said to have set an asking price for him in the region of £25m.
Competition high for Ben Doak transfer
The valuation won’t be the only obstacle Everton face, since there’s competition for Doak’s signature too. It remains to be seen if Crystal Palace would come back in for him, but Bournemouth have been looking into a move for the 19-year-old.
And with Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez becoming a top target for Liverpool – and someone they’re confident of bringing to Anfield – there have been theories that Doak could become a makeweight.
Doak signed an unspecified contract renewal with Liverpool in 2023, but because he was under 18 at the time, it can be assumed he’s now approaching the final year of that deal, since players under the age of 18 cannot sign a contract for more than three years.
Prior to his injury, Doak had reached double figures of goal contributions for Middlesbrough in the Championship, with seven assists and three goals from 24 appearances.
As long as his recovery goes well, he can expect to be a Premier League player next season – with reports long since stating Boro’s only chance of keeping him would be via promotion and Liverpool already having top-flight approaches to listen to.
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The only 11 transfers from Liverpool to Everton before
Gary Ablett (January 1992)
Peter Beardsley (August 1991)
Alan Harper (June 1983)
David Johnson (August 1982)
Kevin Sheedy (July 1982)
Johnny Morrissey (September 1962)
Jimmy Payne (April 1956)
Dick Forshaw (March 1927)
Howard Baker (January 1921)
Arthur Berry (November 1912)
Harold Uren (February 1912)