Most of the noise this summer has been around who Everton might bring in. Understandable.
Stones, Bowen, the rest of the strikers, all of it matters. But as we wrote this morning, this club doesn’t get to spend like some others do.
Just about every name coming through the door depends on who’s heading out first. So here’s the other side of the coin – the players who could realistically be gone before the window shuts.
Full list
| Player | Position | Interested Club(s) | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jarrad Branthwaite | Centre-back | Manchester United | United closing in again after two windows of interest, with a fee approaching £60m mooted |
| Thierno Barry | Striker | RB Leipzig/Hoffenheim | Leipzig have made contact but would need to match Everton’s recoupment demands on their original outlay |
| Dwight McNeil | Winger | West Ham United | Interest confirmed, complicated by his reluctance to drop into the Championship |
| James Garner | Midfielder | Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest | Interest reignited off the back of his first England cap, before he headed to the World Cup without further involvement |
| Nathan Patterson | Right-back | ? | Just eight appearances and 356 minutes all season — a move elsewhere looks the obvious next step |
| Idrissa Gana Gueye | Midfielder | ? | Out of contract this summer, with his Everton future hinging on a short extension or a free move |
| Demi Akarakiri | Forward | Cagliari | Looks set for a permanent academy exit |
| Tim Iroegbunam | Midfielder | Hull City, Ipswich | Hull have shown interest as Everton weigh up his development pathway behind Garner and Hackney |
| Kingsford Boakye | Winger | Manchester United, Brighton, Atlético Madrid, others | Academy deal already expired — exit on a free transfer looks all but confirmed |
Jarrad Branthwaite — The biggie
This would be huge. Man Utd have circled Branthwaite for two windows running now, and their interest hasn’t gone away — if anything it’s picked up again, with United reportedly readying an offer close to £60m after years of Everton knocking back anything that didn’t match their own valuation.
He’s signed through to 2030, and there’s no obligation to sell, but a centre-back who’s struggled for fitness and managed only a handful of appearances this season is exactly the kind of asset PSR pressure pushes a club towards cashing in on while the price is still right.
If he goes, it’ll be the single biggest transfer story of Everton’s summer – bigger than anything coming in.
Rest of the rest…
Thierno Barry’s situation is one to watch – RB Leipzig have made contact, but the stumbling block is obvious: Everton want to recoup close to what they paid for him, and Leipzig haven’t matched it yet. No urgency on either side at this stage, but it’s ongoing.
Dwight McNeil’s move to West Ham, which we covered as breaking news yesterday, has one obvious complication — the Hammers were relegated, and McNeil dropping into the Championship, even on loan, may not be exactly the kind of move he wants at this stage of his career.
James Garner’s stock has gone up. His first England cap reignited interest from Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, but he then missed out on the final World Cup squad, which slightly cools the urgency from Garner’s side even if the interest from elsewhere hasn’t gone away.
Elephant in the room
Further down the squad, Demi Akarakiri still looks close to a permanent exit to Cagliari, and Tim Iroegbunam’s situation is still a fluid situation – Hull and Ipswich have both shown interest while Everton work out where he actually fits behind Garner and, possibly, Hackney in the midfield pecking order.
Then there are the contract situations that need resolving either way: Nathan Patterson, whose six-minutes-a-month tally tells you everything about where he stands, Idrissa Gana Gueye, whose deal runs out this summer, and Kingsford Boakye, whose academy contract already has – with Manchester United, Brighton and Atlético Madrid among those circling a free transfer.
And there’s an elephant in the room: Iliman Ndiaye. While everything has gone quiet for the moment, the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool were said to be preparing offers. This is one to keep an eye on for now.
Why It All Matters
None of these moves happens in isolation. The strikers Everton are weighing up – Delap, Castellanos, Ueda, Jesus, Balogun, whoever it ends up being – get funded by exactly this kind of business.
Branthwaite’s fee alone would cover most of a striker signing. Ndiaye’s too. Patterson, McNeil and Barry moving on would clear wages and squad space without Everton needing to find replacements at that same level. Garner’s situation, Gueye’s contract, and the exits of Akarakiri, Iroegbunam and Boakye are all pieces of the same picture.
Everton aren’t operating with City’s limitless funds, and they’re not going to be.
The trade-off is that almost every meaningful incoming move has to be paid for by an outgoing one. But keep an eye on Branthwaite above all – what happens with him probably decides how ambitious the rest of the window can be.
