Everton have matched West Ham’s €40m (£33.5m) bid for Amadou Onana in a late attempt to hijack David Moyes’s move for the Lille midfielder.
West Ham had their offer accepted by the French club and are due to discuss personal terms with the Belgium international. But Everton have also met Lille’s asking price for the 20-year-old – an initial €35m plus €5m in add-ons – and the indications are Onana would favour a move to Goodison Park.
Everton’s manager, Frank Lampard, is keen to sign two midfielders and the club have held talks over re-signing Idrissa Gana Gueye from Paris Saint-Germain. Chelsea are considering a move for Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The former Arsenal player is on their shortlist of forward targets, with RB Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko among others. Discussions have been held with Aubameyang’s representatives but no bid has been made.