Everton in race with West Ham to sign midfielder who can leave for £25m

Everton are now in a race with David Moyes’ former side to sign a “very good” international midfielder who will be allowed to leave this summer for £25 million, according to a recent report.

Everton weighing up several transfer options

It’s been a rather quiet transfer window for the Toffees so far, but that could soon be about to change, as the return of pre-season gets ever closer. Everton have brought in Carlos Alcaraz on a permanent basis this summer, and they could be close to adding to that, as BBC Sport reports that Everton are close to signing defender Kenny Tete on a free transfer.

A deal is said to be close to being secured, as signing a new right-back has become a priority given Ashley Young was allowed to leave upon the expiry of his contract.

The Merseysiders remain in talks with Villarreal over a deal to sign striker Thierno Barry, but he is not the only forward David Moyes is considering signing. Goodison News reported that the Toffees are interested in Millwall striker Mihailo Ivanovic after he scored 13 goals in the Championship last season.

Everton don’t want to stop there, and a report has now revealed that they have registered their interest in signing James McAtee from Manchester City. The young Englishman looks set to leave the Etihad this summer.

Everton in race with West Ham for Onyedika

McAtee may not be the last midfielder to arrive at Goodison Park this summer, as according to Sacha Tavolieri, Everton are in pole position to sign Raphael Onyedika from Club Brugge, albeit together with the Hammers.

Tavolieri states that both the Toffees and West Ham are leading the race to sign the midfielder this summer, with the Hammers the most concrete with their interest so far. He goes on to add that while he is under contract until 2027, the Belgian side would be happy to get around €30 million, which is roughly £25 million, this summer.

The 24-year-old has been with his current club since August 2022, where he’s won the Belgian league once and the Belgium Cup, which came in 2025. Onyedika, who has won 16 caps for Nigeria, was a key player for Club Brugge last season, as he played 25 times in the Jupiler Pro League and started all 11 of their Champions League matches.

Onyedika is very unknown to English football, as he’s spent his football career playing for FC Midtjylland and FC Fredericia before moving to Belgium. But reporter Graeme Bailey has labelled the midfielder a “very good player” and someone who is a “threat”, while he’s also been linked with a move to Leeds United.