Everton 'target' two midfielders for loan - both have Champions League experience

Everton are reportedly looking to source a loan deal for a midfielder this summer to help replace Amadou Onana.

Sean Dyche has already parted ways with Lewis Dobbin and Andre Gomes this summer while Onana has been their big-money sale of the summer, with a £50m move set to be completed in the coming days. It has left them short in the engine room and a move for another hard-working, deep-lying midfielder is on the cards.

That’s according to Sky Sport’s reporter Gianluca Di Marzio who has claimed Everton are focused on signing Juventus and ex-Liverpool midfielder Arthur Melo. However, they face competition from Leicester City as well as Como - with both sides newly-promoted in their respective leagues.

Melo has returned to Juventus after a successful season at Fiorentina. He bounced back from an awful loan at Liverpool, which included just one appearance off the bench in the Champions League, with a 48-game season where he made 38 starts. Now 27, he has two years left on his current deal and could leave as the Thiago Motta-era begins in Turin.

In addition, Everton reporter Chris Beesley had also reported on a potential move for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips over the weekend, suggesting that they are still interested in the player after previous links across the past year. His future under Pep Guardiola looks uncertain after two seasons of struggling to gain any type of considerable form in the side.

The 28-year-old has managed just five league starts in two seasons and with the ever-present Rodri in front of him, a move away to restart his career looks to be the most sensible move. Under Dyche, he could be a key starter and use his past experience representing England at the highest level and City in the Champions League to help marshal the likes of James Garner, Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure in front of him.

Both players would add quality on the ball and help to provide more stability on the ball. As well as giving them more depth in midfield which means they would have to rely on veteran Gueye less, which works better as he can be utilised more sporadically to get the best out of him in the later years of his career.