Everton willing to 'throw wages' at 219-game beast at Goodison Park

Everton are ready to throw big wages at James Tarkowski this summer, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

The central defender is set to leave Burnley when his contract expires at the end of the month, and Jones can see the Toffees going all out for his signature.

According to The Athletic, there are several sides who are interested in signing Tarkowski, including Everton.

However, the same outlet states that the Merseyside club are likely to face competition from Aston Villa, who are the early favourites in the race to acquire the 29-year-old.

Interest in Tarkowski comes as no surprise given his availability and experience.

Since joining Burnley from Brentford back in 2016, the Englishman has made 219 appearances for the Clarets, with 194 of those coming in the Premier League.

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Given how poor Everton were defensively in the 2021/22 campaign, Jones expects them to make a serious push to sign Tarkowski in the upcoming window.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider said: “From what I understand, they just want that [their defence] fixed as soon as possible. With Tarkowski available as a free agent, if it just means throwing wages at him rather than a fee, then they will be willing to do that.

“I’m not sure they would look at it as a massive gamble because Tarkowski has got such a good track record in the Premier League and, at the end of the day, it can’t get any worse – their defending from last season.”

Everything points towards Tarkowski being a Lampard target rather than a name suggested by the board or scouts.

During his days as Chelsea manager, The Athletic claimed that the 43-year-old wanted Tarkowski at Stamford Bridge.

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