After Onana exit Everton tracking South American midfield star

News today claims the Toffees are interested in Palmeiras and Colombia midfielder Richard Rios to replace the departed Amadou Onana.

Colombia v Panama - CONMEBOL Copa America USA 2024
Colombia v Panama - CONMEBOL Copa America USA 2024 | Ezra Shaw/GettyImages

Everton have been very active in the transfer market so far this summer with the club making five signings while three players have also left.

After that fast start to the summer, just yesterday Sean Dyche seemed to indicate that the Blues spending was in all likelihood over.

However, he also hinted that that might change later in the window and this if it were to happen, would probably be dependent on further player sales.

The piece today from Teamtalk says that Everton are looking to offload Micheal Keane, Mason Holgate and Neal Maupay before this transfer window closes.

None of those players are likely to start much for the Toffees next season - unless there is a serious injury crisis - and I do not think many Evertonians would be sorry to see them leave.

With the arrival of Jake O'Brien and the increasing probability that the Blues will be able to keep hold of Jarrad Branthwaite, this means that Holgate at least, and possibly Keane too, will be surplus to requirements at centre-back.

Meanwhile, Maupay is clearly not in Dyche's plans having been on loan at Brentford all last season - despite Everton's severe problems scoring goals with only ten having been netted by the two centre-forwards Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto.

Calvert-Lewin has also been subject to a number of rumours about his future and has so far failed to sign the new contract on offer from the club.

So, the Toffees may well be forced to sell him as well to avoid the former Sheffield United youth product leaving for nothing next year.

If all these players were to go, the Blues would perhaps hopefully have around £40-45 million or so in combined fees to play with, possibly more.

According to the report today, Rios would be available for about £12 million or so. The 24-year-old starred for his country in the recent Copa America as Colombia reached the final before losing to World Champions Argentina.

He does look the type of midfielder that Everton could do with bringing in having sold Onana and with two ageing veterans in Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Docuoure, alongside James Garner left in the engine room.

Another player in the trenches would therefore make sense and the Toffees have been constantly linked with a move for former England international Kalvin Phillips.

That deal looks increasingly unrealistic and so perhaps Rios would be a good alternative (although other names have been mentioned too), especially as he is a young player too, which fits in with the Blues transfer strategy this summer.

But if Everton are seriously interested in the Colombian they may have to move sooner than this with other Premier League clubs apparently also tracking Rios.