Recent rumors, initially broken by Sean Lunt of Sport Witness, indicate that Everton contacted Parma of Serie A about midfielder Mandela Keita.
Keita, who just turned 24 in May, is a defensive-minded midfielder who has started 60 of his 67 appearances for Parma since joining from Antwerp in 2024. He's been a reasonably disciplined player (seven yellow and a single red card) during his tenure with the club.
Everton, according to Lunt, are interested in a payment plan to spread the cost of a fee that could run somewhere between €25-30 million all told, something that doesn't seem to be a problem in terms of getting the deal done.
The bigger issue, however, appears to be competition from other clubs.
Lunt mentioned Atalanta, who are looking to replace Marco Palestra, who they just to Chelsea, in their midfield. The Italian club would have only have an opportunity to Keita to step into their lineup, but also money to burn.
But more recent reports suggest that Leeds United are "in negotiations with Parma over a potential deal" for the player, according to The Yorkshire Post, who have been following Keita since before he joined Parma. Leeds are also eyeing Southampton's Shea Charles to man the position as well.
Whether the link to Leeds is true or not, Everton should be on notice that they aren't the only club seeking Keita's signature.
There's little doubt that the player wants to take the next step up and either join a stronger side in Italy or move to the Premier League, so Everton will need to step up if they indeed see the player as a good fit for the squad.
With Idrissa Gana Gueye's future with the club in doubt, Everton likely see Keita as his replacement, although they are also keeping an eye on his Senegal teammate, Pape Gueye, as well.
This, along with a sudden burst of potential right back options, suggests that David Moyes and his transfer committee might finally be paying attention to the major needs of the squad.
Even after spending a fair amount of money last summer, Everton are left with plenty of holes, and there are questions about a few of those players they brought in last year, namely Charly Alcaraz, Adam Aznou, and Tyler Dibling, who all had bizarre campaigns in 2025/26.
If Europe is really the target for next year, then Everton cannot get this summer that wrong again, and need to find a way to use those players they did sign.
Mandela Keita could be another strong move to strengthen the midfield after adding Hayden Hackney, so if the consensus is there, the Toffees cannot allow Leeds or any other club to beat them.
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