Everton have apparently already reached out to Juventus about midfielder Douglas Luiz, although there is no indication that a formal bid has been made.
Paul Wheelock at the Liverpool Echo reports that the Toffees "have 'initiated contact' with Juventus and are 'ready to make an offer' - which we be an initial loan with an option to buy," which would not be the Italian giants' preferred method.
Luiz, who just turned 27 in May, only joined Juventus last summer after two of his best seasons in the Premier League with Aston Villa leading up to the move. The Brazilian logged 32 goal contributions in those two campaigns for Villa.
There are plenty of teams who are also interested in bringing Luiz in, with West Ham, Tottenham, and Manchester United all getting involved in bringing the player back to the Premier League.
In the midst of all this, there's a bit of a twist to proceedings.
It was also reported that Porto winger Francisco Conceicao was also on Everton's radar, but that the diminutive Portuguese international, who was on loan with Juventus last season, where he featured in 37 matches (19 starts), prefers a permanent move to Italy.
Conceicao's release clause at Porto is €30 million, which would explain why they'd prefer a permanent transfer for Luiz, a deal they hope will bag them enough to cover the winger's release.
It's an unusual situation, but it will be one to watch, as indications are that Everton are not keen to let this play out in order to add more firepower to their attack. And even though Luiz is a little older, he has the requisite Premier League experience that his age affords him, which could allow him to step right into the starting XI from the jump.