Everton transfer of state play as Jack Grealish, Tyler Dibling and Douglas Luiz updates given

Everton transfer of state play as Jack Grealish, Tyler Dibling and Douglas Luiz updates given

David Moyes is keen to add to his Everton attacking options and talks with Manchester City over a loan deal for Jack Grealish are ongoing

Jack Grealish of Manchester City signs autographs during a training session open to the public. Everton are exploring a potential loan move for the attacking midfielder this summer. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

Everton remain intent on securing additions before the end of the summer transfer window. The club is persisting with discussions with Manchester City over the possibility of a season-long loan for Jack Grealish.

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David Moyes views solving the creative issues that have dogged Everton for several years, and which have been a hallmark of a challenging pre-season, as crucial.

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The club is looking to address its lack of options on the right wing as a priority but recruitment chiefs are also open to strengthening in central midfield and at right back. There is confidence more signings will be made before the end of the month.

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Moyes was vocal throughout Everton’s tour of the US, stressing the club had been working hard behind-the-scenes but that the squad rebuild embarked upon this summer was developing slower than he had hoped .

Those frustrations appeared to remain when he spoke to reporters after the club’s narrow defeat to Roma in the final match of a pre-season that has seen his side lose four matches, draw with Accrington Stanley and only seal one win - behind closed doors against League One side Port Vale.

Asked for his assessment of the squad with the start of the Premier League season less than one week away, Moyes simply said on Saturday: “We’ve got a lot to do, haven’t we.”

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The Blues boss was not completely downhearted after watching his team play in front of supporters at the club’s new stadium for the first time. He praised both Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry for their contributions and acknowledged there were positives from a first half display in which Everton had the best chances.

Dewsbury-Hall impressed on his first appearance since a £25m move from Chelsea while Barry worked hard and was unfortunate to lose his footing when played through on goal in the opening minutes. The 22-year-old, a £27.5m signing from Villarreal, is a player who will require patience as he adapts to English football, Moyes later stressed.

The same will be true of another summer addition, Adam Aznou. The 19-year-old, signed from Bayern Munich in a £7.8m deal, provides necessary cover at left back for Vitalii Mykolenko.

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He was required after just 10 minutes on Saturday when Mykolenko was forced off with an injury that is yet to be fully assessed. Aznou had some positional issues through the game and was later replaced by Seamus Coleman.

The threat of an injury to Mykolenko highlighted once again the lack of depth in a squad that saw the departure of 12 senior players at the end of June. While many were surplus to requirements, the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Ashley Young and Dominic Calvert-Lewin provided experience that is yet to be fully replaced.

Moyes’ other two summer signings have been Carlos Alcaraz and Mark Travers. Alcaraz’s move from Flamengo was made permanent for £12.8m and, while that was a promising early move for Everton, he was a player who ended last season already in the club’s ranks. Travers, meanwhile, will provide back-up to Jordan Pickford after moving from Bournemouth in a £4m deal.

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Moyes’ focus remains on solving the attacking issues that continue to hamper his side. The Blues have struggled to create chances in pre-season and, while Dewsbury-Hall and Alcaraz offer support to his existing arsenal, there remains a clear belief more resources are needed.

There has been no shortage of interest in the most glaring problem in the squad - the lack of a specialist senior option on the right wing. Loanees Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom shared that role last season and have since returned to their parent clubs, with Lindstrom then joining Wolfsburg on another loan.

Everton’s first choice was Francisco Conceicao but his loan from Porto to Juventus was made permanent. Johan Bakayoko traded PSV Eindhoven for RB Leipzig and interest in Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo cooled due to the demands set by the Basque club.

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Everton’s hopes of securing Malick Fofana from Lyon were undermined by the Belgian winger’s desire to compete in European football - the lack of which Moyes says has been an issue in attracting talent to the club.

Following talks over Fofana, the Blues hoped to be more targeted in their advances, aiming to strike when there was a sense protracted negotiations could be avoided. That desire has proved unsuccessful with Southampton, who have rejected three bids for talented right winger Tyler Dibling .

Everton’s final offer peaked at around £37.5m with add-ons and that remains the limit on what the club is willing to pay in a market that has seen far more established players in that position, such as Anthony Elanga, Mohammed Kudus and Dan Ndoye move for fees between £50m and £55m.

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The Blues are now actively looking at alternatives to Dibling, though a move could be revisited should the Saints be willing to return to the table over a player who was left out of the squad for the season-opening win over Wrexham.

After the match, their manager Will Still explained: “Ty's just not in a headspace and not in a place that allowed him to get on the pitch today. The team is always going to be the most important thing and whoever wants to be here and connect with that is more than welcome to do so.

"I thought that Ty wasn't quite there and I understand it, he's still young and there's a lot going on so we will see how that goes. If nothing happens then he will be a part of what we want to do and be important as well, but time will tell. It's standard transfer window stuff."

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Everton have, meanwhile, intensified their interest in Grealish. The attacking midfielder is out of favour at Man City and was left out of the squad for the Club World Cup earlier this summer. He was not involved in the squad that faced Palermo on Saturday and an exit is expected before the end of the transfer window.

City would prefer to recoup some of the £100m they spent on the 29-year-old, who won the treble with them just two years ago, but serious bids have not been forthcoming.

The player is keen for a route to first-team football that would allow him the chance to salvage his international career in a World Cup year and Everton are emerging as a potential destination that he is believed to be open to.

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Whether any deal could work - the contribution to Grealish’s wages would be substantial - is still being explored but new Blues owners The Friedkin Group have a record of sanctioning high-profile, opportunistic deals at sister club Roma, including a loan move for Romelu Lukaku and the free signing of Paulo Dybala. Both were viewed as statements of ambition at the time.

Moyes, too, is unafraid of the clamour that would follow the addition of a big name. His message since his return to the club has been that Everton must start acting with ambition should the club’s intention to climb back to where he left it be serious.

Where Grealish would fit into his plans should a deal materialise is unclear, but he once again highlighted a lack of creativity as a problem after the game with Roma, saying: “We've been lacking it [creativity] for most of the pre-season to score enough goals and make enough goals.”

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There is a desire to explore opportunities to strengthen elsewhere in the squad. The Blues' issues on the right extend to right back, where Jake O’Brien looks favourite to begin the season.

The Republic of Ireland international has impressed in that position under Moyes but the centre back remains a makeshift option in an area Everton have struggled with for some time. Nathan Patterson, another candidate for that spot, is being assessed for a hernia problem that threatens to provide the latest setback in a career that has been blighted by injury since joining from Rangers in January of 2022.

It was an area Moyes hoped to have found an answer for at the end of June only for Kenny Tete to decide to stick with Fulham after engaging in advanced talks with the Blues .

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James Justin, of Leicester City, has been suggested to the club and could be available for around £6m. Everton have not pursued that so far but his ability to cover at left-back could be newly-enticing after the events of Saturday.

The Blues are not thought to have held a serious interest in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, at Lyon, so far this summer.

Everton are also open to adding in midfield. The club enquired about the availability of John McGinn earlier in the window but moved on due to the strength of Aston Villa’s response and Dewsbury-Hall has since been signed.

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Focus now is on a more defensively-minded player who could help step up when Idrissa Gueye departs for the Africa Cup of Nations. That would make any move for Dion Lopy, of Almeria, problematic. The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with Everton over recent weeks but is a Senegal teammate of Gueye, and IIiman Ndiaye.

Another midfielder repeatedly linked with the Blues has been Juventus’ Douglas Luiz. While there is an acknowledgement he is a talented player, he has not been seriously pursued thus far, partly due to the Serie A side’s demands for him.

Whether Everton will have to compromise on their approach in the final weeks of the window remains to be seen. There remains a desire to invest in quality rather than chase reinforcements for the sake of it and there is confidence Everton will be considerably stronger come the beginning of September.

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New additions would be particularly helpful given some players Moyes is currently relying on would perhaps be better suited going on loan this season.

Youssef Chermiti appears to have fallen behind Beto, and Barry and could do with minutes, while there has been interest in Patterson, Tim Iroegbunam and Harrison Armstrong.

Armstrong missed the Roma game with a minor thigh strain suffered in training and the 18-year-old could yet remain part of Moyes’ plans. There are several clubs who would be keen to take him after he played a key role in helping Derby County stave off relegation from the Championship, however.

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