---
title: "Everton reportedly beaten to Fatawu by newly-promoted Ipswich"
canonical: "https://readeverton.com/everton-fatawu-ipswich-20m-transfer-missed-out/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Gary Gowers"
section: "Everton News"
published: "2026-07-20T09:26:49Z"
modified: "2026-09-22T12:56:49Z"
---

# Everton reportedly beaten to Fatawu by newly-promoted Ipswich

[Everton](https://readeverton.com/) have missed out on Abdul Fatawu. Ipswich Town have verbally agreed a £20m deal for the Leicester winger, with a medical expected next week and the move set to be wrapped up before Gary O’Neil’s side fly out for their pre-season camp in Spain.

Everton’s interest was genuine. They were tracking Fatawu at the same £20m valuation Ipswich have now agreed, and reports last week — sourced to a single Turkish outlet, so worth treating with some caution — claimed personal terms had already been struck with the player.

If that was ever true, it makes this harder to explain, not easier. A club supposedly ahead in talks has ended up watching a Championship-promoted side complete the deal first.

West Ham and Beşiktaş were also linked with Fatawu, but neither club actually got the deal done. Ipswich did, and quickly — Fatawu joins a summer that has already brought in Chuba Akpom from Ajax and Emerson from Toulouse, evidence of a club moving with purpose in the market.

Moyes has spoken about wanting Everton to, at least, match what Bournemouth and Brentford have built.

Well, losing out on a £20m winger to a newly-promoted side isn’t the way to start, and Evertonians have every right to be concerned about what it says regarding the club’s pulling power and decisiveness in this window.