Everton tipped to replace Man Utd target with Benfica star eyed by Leicester

Everton have made a positive start to the transfer window, keeping hold of their best players so far and completing deals for Jack Harrison (loan) and Tim Iroegbunam.

As we exclusively revealed on Monday, Everton’s signing of Marseille star Iliman Ndiaye is ‘100% done’ and he’ll be the third player through the door at Goodison Park.

The announcement of Ndiaye’s arrival is expected soon and he could prove to be a big addition for Sean Dyche’s side.

He was sensational with former club Sheffield United in the Championship and will fit nicely into Everton’s formation in the number 10 role.

Everton’s business isn’t done yet though and while they’ve managed to keep hold of their best players until now, the future of Amadou Onana is still uncertain.

The 22-year-old midfielder has made no secret of the fact that he wants to play for one of Europe’s elite clubs and a number of them are poised to make their move this summer.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been linked with Onana and TEAMtalk sources have confirmed that Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on him.

Everton will demand a minimum of £50m for Onana and now that his Euro 2024 campaign with Belgium has come to an end, things will start moving with regards to a potential transfer.

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Florentino Luis in, Amadou Onana out for Everton?

According to Portuguese outlet Record, Everton are already looking at potential replacements for Onana and Florentino Luis is one player they’ve had on their radar since January.

The Toffees’ sporting director Kevin Thelwell is a big fan of the Benfica defensive midfielder and he has a history of signing players from Portugal, notably during his time with previous club Wolves.

As mentioned, Everton have already signed Iroegbunam from Aston Villa for £9m who is also a midfielder, but it remains to be seen how much of a role he will play in the first team in the coming campaign.

Luis, 24, is highly regarded at Benfica, where he made 45 appearances across all competitions last season – including three in the Champions League.

As exclusively revealed by TEAMtalk, the Toffees have also sent a contract offer to another midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, who is now a free agent after leaving Leicester on Sunday.

Record claim that Everton face competition from Leicester in the race for Luis as they search for a Ndidi replacement.

The report reads: “Leicester City are preparing a proposal for Luis, but Everton also continues in the fight to secure the midfielder.

‘[Everton have] an older interest in Luis. The Toffees had already expressed their intention to try and sign Florentino in January, but could not convince Benfica.

“This summer, the Liverpool side will continue to seek to strengthen the midfield and is also expected to present a proposal to the Eagles in the coming weeks.”

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