Everton's relegation rivals 'reach agreement' to sign La Liga star on loan deal

One of Everton's Premier League relegation rivals have already struck an agreement to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window. The relegation battle looks set to be a fascinating one, with the Toffees having been dragged in due to their hefty points deduction.

Everton are currently within a point of the bottom three having played a game more than Luton Town below them. Meanwhile, Burnley are currently five points behind Sean Dyche's men having played the same number of games, and bottom club Sheffield United are seven points behind.

The Blades have struggled to adjust to top-flight football, and poor recruitment in the summer certainly hasn't helped their case. But with Chris Wilder having replaced Paul Heckingbottom, the Steel City club are now looking to strengthen to give themselves a chance of fighting for survival.

Their first step towards that has been to agree a deal to sign Villarreal star Ben Brereton-Diaz on a loan deal until the end of the season, according to Fabrizio Romano. The journalist wrote on X: "Ben Brereton Díaz to Sheffield Utd, here we go! Agreement reached on loan deal until June. Brereton Díaz will travel in the next 24h for medical tests and contract signing. No buy option clause included, he’ll return to Villarreal in June."

Brereton-Diaz joined Villarreal on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers in the summer but has struggled to nail down a starting spot despite the Yellow Submarine struggling this term. Villarreal are now on their third manager of the season, currently sitting in the bottom half, but Brereton-Diaz still hasn't managed to convince, and he will now return to England with the Spanish club hoping he gets a confidence boost from playing more regular football.