Everton have had an £18m bid rejected for Aston Villa captain John McGinn, according to Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam.
The Toffees have burst into life in the transfer market in recent weeks after a slow start to the window, with five deals complete to bring in Charly Alcaraz permanently, Thierno Barry from Villarreal, Mark Travers from Bournemouth, Adam Aznou from Bayern Munich and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea.
But the club have now moved to bring in some Premier League experience too by making a move for Scotland international McGinn.
Everton Bid £18m for McGinn
Aston Villa adamant he's not for sale
John McGinn applauding the Aston Villa supporters
McGinn, who has been described as a "superstar", is into the final two years of his contract at Villa Park and there had been some suggestions he could leave as the Midlands side look to raise funds after missing out on the Champions League.
Now Everton have moved to put that theory to the test by tabling an offer worth £18m for the Scot, as manager David Moyes looks to add leadership, versatility and experience to his squad ahead of the new season.
However, Villa immediately rejected the offer and have made it clear that they have no interest in selling the 30-year-old as Unai Emery wants to keep his squad together.
Newcastle United also have an interest in McGinn but they have not made a formal move to try and take him to St James' Park.
Alongside a new midfielder, Moyes and Everton are also keen on adding to their attack and have had multiple bids rejected by Southampton for Tyler Dibling, while they have also opened talks with Manchester City about a season-long loan deal for Jack Grealish.
John McGinn's Aston Villa Stats (2024/25 Premier League)
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Starts
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All statistics courtesy of WhoScored - correct as of 07/08/2025.