Patience looks set to define Everton’s approach to the rest of the window – probably not what Evertonians are wanting to hear.
The club are reportedly prepared to wait on two fronts — right-back and Jack Grealish — rather than settle for deals on worse terms than they want.
At right-back, Everton are holding out for the right candidate. Man City’s Rico Lewis has emerged as their leading option, despite constant rumours around Brooke Norton-Cuffy.
City are open to a sale despite Lewis being contracted until 2030. Everton have recent form for seeing out long negotiations when they want a specific player — the Hayden Hackney deal with Boro took months to get over the line.
Grealish is a similar story, for different reasons. Everton are prepared to wait until late in the window before moving. The thinking is that City’s need to sell will eventually bring the price down. City set a £50m buy option as part of last season’s loan. Everton’s ceiling this time is understood to be £5-10m.
That’s a wide gap. Everton don’t appear to be in a rush to close it. As ReadEverton reported last week, the club are also waiting on Grealish’s recovery from the foot injury that ended his loan early. Fitness and fee are now running on separate timelines.
There is also the Aston Villa factor to consider – who may be prepared to act quickly on their former player.
Moyes has been clear that the club won’t overpay this summer, with the transfer budget trimmed for many reasons. Both situations reflect the Everton transfer approach: identify the target, then wait for City to move first.
Whether the patience pays off on either front may not be clear until deep into August.
