'Now we have' - John Textor admission to take next step as Everton close in on deal

Everton are closing in on their fifth signing of the summer transfer window.

The Toffees are in talks to sign Jake O’Brien from Lyon in a deal worth around £17 million after a fine 2023-24 season. The centre-back made a total of 32 appearances for Les Gones, scoring five goals and assisting two. Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1, qualifying for the Europa League and were defeated 2-1 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France final.

Reports suggest that O’Brien, 23, is due to have a medical at Everton today - and edging towards a return to the Premier League just a year after leaving Crystal Palace. The defender moved to Palace from boyhood club Cork City in February 2021 - initially on loan before making the switch permanent. However, first-team chances were hard to come by for O’Brien at Selhurst Park, while he had loan spells at League Two club Swindon Town and Belgian second-tier side RWD Molenbeek.

Ultimately, Palace felt that O’Brien was not ready for the Premier League, although part-owner John Textor clearly believed in his ability. Textor, who declared he was interested in buying Everton earlier this year as 777 Partners’ takeover stalled - and ultimately collapsed - is also the majority owner of Lyon through his company Eagle Football Holdings. The American’s multi-club portfolio includes Molenbeek to boot.

The American gave the green light for the French side to sign O’Brien a year ago, which proved a highly fruitful decision for both the club and the defender. Speaking to BBC Sport in March, Textor admitted that O’Brien was not ready for the Premier League - but his time in Ligue 1 meant that a host of clubs subsequently expressed their interest.

He said: "I work very closely with Dougie Freedman [Palace sporting director] and Steve Parish [Palace chairman] and I pick off the situations. They [players] may not be ready for the Premier League, but O’Brien wasn't ready for the Premier League. He was ready for Belgium 2, now he’s ready for French 1, and now we have teams in the Premier League that are calling on him."

The likes of West Ham, Wolves and Dutch giants Ajax have all reportedly been tracking O’Brien - but he’s poised to make the switch to Everton. Sean Dyche’s side have already signed Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye, Jack Harrison (loan) and Jesper Lindstrom. Now the Blues are set to bolster their defensive options after selling Ben Godfrey to Atalanta earlier in the window.

O’Brien will arrive behind James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite in the centre-back pecking order. The Republic of Ireland international will be aware he may have to bide his time at Goodison Park although he has an encouraging future ahead.