Everton were firmly in the spotlight on transfer deadline day.
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As the Toffees slowly got a loan deal for Tyrique George from Chelsea over the line – even requiring a deal sheet to gain an additional two hours – Dwight McNeil looked set to leave for Crystal Palace in a £20m deal.
However, the south Londoners backed out of the move at the last minute, leaving the Everton No.7 and his partner dejected – as shown on Instagram.
Before any of this happened, Everton themselves were met with rejection after attempting to sign Youssef En-Nesyri and N’Golo Kante from Fenerbahce and Al Ittihad respectively.
However – according to Fabrizio Romano – FIFA have ruined their moves elsewhere.
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N’Golo Kante and Youssef En-Nesyri end up staying put after snubbing Everton
Everton had a bid accepted by Fenerbahce to take En-Nesyri on loan midway through January, only for the Morocco international himself to reject the Toffees, allegedly due to concerns over the weather.
Everton also held talks with Kante before it was made clear the France international wanted to swap Al Ittihad for Fenerbahce – but the two sides have now failed to orchestrate the swap deal.
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Romano claimed on X (previously known as Twitter) that there was a verbal agreement between both sides, but it was FIFA who blocked the move due to issues regarding the documents involved.
🚨🛑 N’Golo Kanté to Fenerbahçe and Youssef En-Nesyri to Al Ittihad, deals are both OFF.
FIFA reject the appeal from both clubs, as it was verbally agreed but 𝒏𝒐𝒕 here we go due to documents problems. pic.twitter.com/16MtHHsC3H
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 3, 2026
View Tweet
Kante will now leave Al Ittihad as a free agent when his contract expires this summer, but it remains to be seen what happens to En-Nesyri, who still has a deal running until July 2029 in Turkey.
Everton could still sign one of the pair if they end up terminating their contract
If the intervention from FIFA has been enough to leave either Kante or En-Nesyri seriously unsettled, there is every chance they could look to terminate their contracts and leave on a free transfer.
Jhon Duran terminated his deal with Fenerbahce as Everton and Tottenham circled on transfer deadline day, so it is certainly an option – and free transfers can be done outside of the window.
That is also why Everton still have the chance to sign Raheem Sterling or Jesse Lingard despite the transfer window closing – with both currently free agents after leaving Chelsea and FC Seoul respectively.
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Everton's Tyrique George on the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another England international currently without a club, along with Dele Alli.
So, despite the window closing, there are still ways for David Moyes to add to his squad.
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