Everton must ‘get creative’ in race for Man Utd star as two Toffees strikers linked with transfers

Everton are reportedly the latest side to show an interest in Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay amid the uncertainty surrounding his future at Old Trafford.

The Scotsman is one of several players the Man Utd hierarchy are willing to part ways with for the right price and the Toffees are long-term admirers of his.

Fulham were favourites to sign McTominay for much of the summer. They have made bids for the midfielder but none reached Man Utd’s price tag of around £25m.

The Cottagers have now turned their attention to Burnley star Sander Berge as an alternative to McTominay, giving Everton the opportunity to swoop in for him.

As we have consistently reported, Sean Dyche is keen to bring in a new midfielder to fill the void left by Amadou Onana, who has joined Aston Villa.

Young centre-mid Tim Iroegbunam was one of the few positives in Everton’s 3-0 defeat to Burnley on Saturday but Dyche wants a more experienced head to compete with him for a starting spot.

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According to The Athletic, Everton ‘represent an opportunity’ for McTominay but they would have to be ‘creative’ with a deal given their limited finances.

Napoli are also interested and their sporting director Giovanni Manna has travelled to England to hold talks with the player’s representatives and ‘progress is being made,’ while Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are keen too.

Marseille plot move for wantaway Everton star

Everton’s preference would be to sign McTominay on loan with an option or obligation to buy included in the deal but it’s unlikely Man Utd would entertain that.

The Toffees therefore would have to sell players to be able to sign McTominay this summer and reports from France suggest that Neal Maupay could depart Goodison Park soon.

The striker is well down the pecking order at Everton and found himself loaned out to Brentford last season.

According to L’Equipe, Roberto de Zerbi’s Marseille are considering offering Maupay an escape chance and Everton would be happy to sell him.

Marseille’s preference would be to sign Maupay on loan, which would effectively end his Everton career as his contract is set to expire next summer.

Everton may be able to collect a loan fee from the deal though and could also free up space on their wage bill by offloading him.

Man Utd are interested in Calvert-Lewin

Dominic Calvert-Lewin would likely command a decent fee for Everton and as previously reported, his future at Goodison Park is also unclear.

Like Maupay, Calvert-Lewin has entered the final 12 months of his contract and despite the Toffees offering him an extension, he has so far refused to sign.

A number of Premier League sides including Man Utd have shown an interest in Calvert-Lewin and Everton could be forced into a sale if a sizeable bid is made for him.

Given Everton’s need to ‘get creative’ in a move for McTominay, offering Calvert-Lewin as a makeweight in a deal could be an avenue they explore.

Calvert-Lewin remains the Toffees’ first choice centre-forward, however, so they would be unlikely to allow him to leave without first finding a replacement – especially if Maupay also departs.

TEAMtalk can also confirm that Everton are in talks to re-sign goalkeeper Asmir Begovic on a free transfer after his contract with Queens Park Rangers came to an end.

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