Everton are reportedly closing in on a deal for Hull City winger Jaden Philogene, amid competition from Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and others.
The Toffees have made a positive start to the transfer window with deals for Jack Harrison (loan), Tim Iroegbunam (£9m) and Iliman Ndiaye (£16.9m) already tied up.
They have so far kept hold of their best players such as Jarrad Branthwaite, Amadou Onana and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, despite the trio being heavily linked with exits.
As sources exclusively told TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan on Monday, Everton are confident that they will win the race for Philogene after striking an agreement on a fee with Hull.
Paul Joyce of The Times has now backed up our report, posting on X that the Toffees have had a bid of £16m accepted for the talented 22-year-old.
This comes after the player’s agent, Berto Camacho, was spotted at Everton’s training ground, Finch Farm.
Sean Dyche has made signing a new winger one of his top priorities and Everton sporting director Kevin Thelwell has been working hard on getting a deal for Philogene done.
Joyce claims that ‘Everton believe Philogene wants to join them.’ Competition from other Premier League sides remains, but the feeling is that the winger has chosen Goodison Park as his next destination.
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Everton close in on Philogene deal
After the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa for £9m, it was clear that Everton needed to sign a new winger.
Arnaut Danjuma’s return to Villarreal following his loan spell at Goodison means that Dyche has only Dwight McNeil, Harrison and veteran star Ashley Young as his winger options as things stand.
The Toffees have been scouring the market for wide options for some time and Philogene has always featured highly on their shortlist.
He captured the attention of football fans everywhere by scoring a stunning rabona earlier this year.
Philogene is considered to be one of the best players in the Championship having scored 12 goals and making six assists in 32 league appearances last season.
The former Aston Villa man is only expected to improve as he gains experience and fits into Everton’s transfer philosophy of signing players they believe will have a big valuation in a few years.
The Merseyside club have gone through three seasons of turmoil on and off the pitch but with a takeover by The Friedkin Group and new signings on the horizon, there is finally some cause for optimism for fans.
Ipswich ‘agree’ Philogene deal in major twist
However, while Joyce claims that Everton are confident that Philogene prefers to join them, Ipswich have thrown a major spanner in the works.
The Premier League new boys have outbid the Toffees by offering £18m, which has been accepted by Hull according to reputed journalist David Ornstein.
He claims that Philogene is ‘currently set to pick Ipswich’ and will undergo a medical later this week, while Everton and Crystal Palace ‘remain keen’ on the deal.
It seems that the Toffees will now have to match Ipswich’s bid in order to get a deal done.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
