Everton have been exploring a number of deals this summer transfer window, with the Friedkin Group looking to make some statement additions.
David Moyes wants to sign Jack Grealish from Manchester City, but his substantial wages are proving to be an issue.
Fabrizio Romano reckons there’s a 35% chance Grealish joins Everton, so clearly there’s a lot of legwork to be done on that deal.
Burnley’s highly-rated defender Maxime Esteve is on Moyes’ radar, too, with the Clarets looking for in excess of £30m.
The Toffees are considering activating Thierno Barry’s release clause, and it’s just surfaced that one of their other rumoured targets is actually the great-nephew of the legendary Alan Ball.
Photo by Harry Murphy - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by Harry Murphy – Danehouse/Getty Images
Everton target James McAtee is the great-nephew of Alan Ball
Everton are interested in signing James McAtee after it became apparent he will leave Man City this summer.
Like Grealish, James McAtee has been left out of the Club World Cup squad, so he will be allowed to negotiate his exit over the coming weeks.
Moyes is believed to be a big admirer of the 22-year-old, and reports suggest it would take a £35m bid to reach an agreement with the Citizens.
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Interestingly, McAtee is actually the great-nephew of former Everton and England hero Alan Ball, who was part of the 1966 World Cup-winning team.
His mum Gill is the niece of Ball, so perhaps that little-known Everton connection may prove to be a selling point, with plenty of other Premier League and Bundesliga clubs keen to land his signature.
Guardiola recognised McAtee’s talent at 13
McAtee was actually spotted by Guardiola even before he took the City job in 2016.
The Spaniard made a secret visit to the academy and watched the then 13-year-old, who certainly impressed.
“Who’s that?” Guardiola asked his coach, clearly wowed by McAtee’s talent.
The England youth international went on to make 34 appearances under the former Barcelona boss, netting seven goals.
Sandwiched between those were two productive loan spells at Sheffield United, where he played a key role in the 2022/23 promotion campaign.
“He is [going to be some player], he is,” Chris Wilder said about McAtee. “Is he for sale? I don’t know. I think his price might have gone up a little bit after today!”
Evidently, if Everton can reach an agreement with City, it’d be a really top addition to Moyes’ squad.