Updated: July 1
What’s changed since June 24?
Hackney and George are no longer speculative — both are close to done. Hackney is reportedly set to begin his Everton medical, with personal terms agreed and a deal that could be announced this week. The fee has settled at £25m, structured with an initial £16.5m guaranteed and the rest in add-ons.
George’s situation flipped twice in a week. Everton let his original £22m option-to-buy clause lapse, but Simon Johnson and Patrick Boyland of The Athletic report talks have reopened, with a package worth more than £20m progressing well and possibly concluding this week. Newcastle, fresh off selling Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £70m, are watching and have the budget to move for him if Everton’s negotiations drag on.
Stones remains on course but isn’t a formality anymore. Inter Milan have emerged as a late challenge, though Everton aren’t panicking — Stones is still said to lean toward Merseyside.
Grealish is a messy one – at least for those of us on the outside looking in. Talks are reportedly in their final stages, with Everton pushing for around £20m against City’s £50m option, and the two valuations are finally in the same postcode — but at least one recent report has him simply returning to City when the loan expires.
New name in the mix: Everton have opened contact with Parma over a move for midfielder Mandela Keita.
The full list
| Player | Position | Current Club | Nature of Everton’s interest | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden Hackney | Midfielder | Middlesbrough | £25m deal agreed, medical underway, announcement possible this week | Very High |
| Tyrique George | Winger | Chelsea (loan at Everton) | Talks reopened, £20m+ package progressing, could close this week — Newcastle circling if it stalls | High |
| John Stones | Centre-back | Manchester City (free agent) | Advanced talks, personal terms believed close — Inter Milan now a late complication | High |
| Kai Hutchinson | Winger | Dundee United | 16-year-old has reportedly accepted a proposal to join | Very High |
| Jack Grealish | Winger | Manchester City | Permanent fee talks in final stages around £20m, but competing reports say he could simply return to City as the loan expires | Medium-High |
| Mandela Keita | Midfielder | Parma | Everton have opened contact | Medium |
| Edon Zhegrova | Winger | Juventus | Talks ongoing; Everton said to have been in the race longest | Medium-High |
| Georgios Vagiannidis | Right-back | Sporting CP | Viewed internally as the most attainable defensive option | Medium-High |
| Ngal’ayel Mukau | Midfielder | Lille | Seen as ideal long-term cover as Gana Gueye winds down | Medium-High |
| Sander Berge | Midfielder | Burnley | Stock risen after strong World Cup form for Norway | Medium-High |
| Djed Spence | Right-back | Tottenham Hotspur | Named as a target for the right-back spot | Medium |
| Assane Diao | Winger | Como | Reported €45m offer made, but Como’s valuation a sticking point | Medium |
| Liam Delap | Striker | Chelsea | Loan move explored as Delap struggles for game time | Medium |
| Marc Casado | Midfielder | Barcelona | Moyes wants more defensive control in midfield | Medium |
| Lois Openda | Striker | RB Leipzig | Competing with Juventus for a forward Leipzig may sell | Medium |
| Lucas Herrington | Defender | Colorado Rapids | Specific, fresh link with no progress reported yet | Medium |
| Pape Gueye | Midfielder | Villarreal | Player has expressed a desire to join; Everton one of the interested clubs | Medium |
| Nathan De Cat | Midfielder | Anderlecht | 17-year-old Belgian, Everton among several English clubs interested | Medium |
| Morten Hjulmand | Midfielder | Sporting CP | Everton interested; Sporting aware of the interest | Medium |
| Raoul Bellanova | Right-back | Atalanta | Everton among clubs with strong interest, per TuttoSport | Medium-Low |
| Karl Etta Eyong | Striker | Levante | Enquiry made, but Ipswich have the head start in talks | Medium-Low |
| Shea Charles | Midfielder | Southampton | Everton monitoring, per The Athletic | Medium-Low |
| Crysencio Summerville | Winger | West Ham United | One name floated as cover if Grealish doesn’t stay | Medium-Low |
| Jarrod Bowen | Winger | West Ham United | Moyes interested but fee/wages seen as obstacles; could cost £40m+ | Medium |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles | Defender | Free agent | Considered as a defensive option | Low-Medium |
| Ben White | Defender | Arsenal | Would improve the squad but financially a stretch | Low |
| Gabriel Jesus | Striker | Arsenal | Price reportedly cut to £20-25m, but wages likely prohibitive | Low |
| Nathan Aké | Defender | Manchester City | Quality obvious, price and wages probably not realistic | Low |
| Harry Wilson | Midfielder | Fulham | Free agent this summer; one report has him choosing Leeds instead | Low |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | Right-back | West Ham United | Named once as a possible full-back option | Low |
| Tomas Soucek | Midfielder | West Ham United | Named once, no clear pathway to a deal since | Low |
| Neco Williams | Right-back | Nottingham Forest | Named once in a list of full-back possibilities | Low |
| El Hadji Malick Diouf | Left-back | West Ham United | Named once, nothing concrete to suggest progress | Low |
| Jayden Oosterwolde | Defender | Fenerbahce | One mention among several defensive names in May | Low |
| Diego Leite | Centre-back | Union Berlin | One mention, unlikely to develop further | Low |
| Radu Dragusin | Centre-back | Tottenham Hotspur | Speculative link given limited Spurs game time | Low |
| Federico Gatti | Centre-back | Juventus | Named once among several centre-back options | Low |
| Gabriel Sara | Midfielder | Galatasaray | One mention, no signs of a concrete approach | Low |
| Issa Doumbia | Midfielder | Venezia | Speculative midfield name with little since | Low |
| Ivan Toney | Striker | Al-Ahli | Mentioned once; a Saudi return looks unlikely | Low |
| Artem Dovbyk | Striker | Roma | One mention among a long list of forward options | Low |
| Taty Castellanos | Striker | West Ham United | Named once, no real momentum since | Low |
| Alexander Sorloth | Striker | Atletico Madrid | One mention; profile and wages make this a stretch | Low |
| Santiago Castro | Striker | Bologna | Speculative forward link with no clear progress | Low |
| Jamie Leweling | Winger | Stuttgart | One mention among several wide-attacking names | Low |
| Dario Osorio | Winger | FC Midtjylland | Speculative, low-profile link with little traction | Low |
| Zuriko Davitashvili | Winger | Saint-Etienne | One mention, nothing concrete reported since | Low |
| Abdul Fatawu | Winger | Leicester City | Speculative name from the early-window round-up | Low |
| Ethan Nwaneri | Attacking midfielder | Arsenal | Arsenal have no apparent intention to sell or loan | Very Low |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | Midfielder/left-back | Arsenal | Same situation — considered untouchable at the Emirates | Very Low |
Players rumoured to be leaving Everton
| Player | Position | Interested club(s) | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thierno Barry | Striker | RB Leipzig | Leipzig would need to match Everton’s recoupment demands |
| Dwight McNeil | Winger | West Ham United | Interest confirmed, complicated by his reluctance to drop into the Championship |
| James Garner | Midfielder | Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest | Reignited off the back of his first England cap |
| Demi Akarakiri | Forward | Cagliari | Looks set for a permanent academy exit |
| Tim Iroegbunam | Midfielder | Hull City, Ipswich | Hull City are targeting Iroegbunam as they look to strengthen their midfield; Everton News Ipswich also linked |
| Harrison Armstrong | Midfielder | Middlesbrough | Boro are one of the Championship sides monitoring a possible loan move yahoo |
The big takeaway
Hackney’s basically over the line, and George looks close behind him — two names who moved from “talk” to “imminent” in under a week.
Stones is still the most likely of the headline trio, but Inter’s arrival means it’s no longer a free swing. Grealish is genuinely the one to watch: two credible camps are telling two different stories, and Wednesday’s medical/loan-expiry deadline should force clarity fast.
Frustrating though, right?
