Everton are close to securing their next signing of the summer transfer window.
The Toffees are close to landing Lyon defender Jake O’Brien for a fee of £17 million and he has landed in Merseyside for his medical.
According to a report from the Irish Examiner, the Ireland international has arrived to complete his medical.
Everton were looking to sign a new defender this summer, especially after the departure of Ben Godfrey earlier in the summer transfer window.
There has been plenty of speculations about the future of Jarrad Branthwaite who was targeted by Manchester United this summer. Despite several bids from the Red Devils, the Toffees kept hold of him as it didn’t match their asking price.
O’Brien has enjoyed a successful time in France with Lyon and Everton are now close to completing their fifth major summer signing.
Next signing for Everton – it’s close to being done
The Toffees have done incredibly well to add depth to their squad this summer, although they have lost Godfrey, Lewis Dobbin and Amadou Onana.
Everton have signed Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa and Illiman Ndiaye from Marseille, while Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison joined on loans from Napoli and Leeds United.
O’Brien will not find it easy to break into the first eleven straightaway. James Tarkowski and Branthwaite are first-choice options for Sean Dyche, but the 23-year-old could be used as a reliable back-up option who can slot into the senior side if anyone gets injured.
Also, Tarkowski is approaching the fag end of his career, and Everton appear to have started planning for his long-term replacement. O’Brien is a tall player, and it doesn’t come as a surprise as Dyche wanted someone to have aerial dominance.
Having said that, it doesn’t look like O’Brien’s arrival will impact Branthwaite’s future. Everton are unwilling to lower their asking price for their star defender, and unless the Red Devils are ready to pay a huge fee for him, it looks likely that he will stay at Goodison Park beyond the summer.
