Everton are in touch with the “underrated” £17m star

It has been a busy window for Everton Football Club so far in the summer of 2024. The Toffees have had a few ins and outs, including some notable sales that have helped the club make a healthy profit and given them more money to reinvest. the group.

Amadou Onana is the player in question here. The Belgian has moved from Goodison Park to the Midlands and Aston Villa. The Villans paid £50m for his services, a very healthy fee for the Merseysider, who spent £33m on Onana from Lille in 2022. Everton also sold Lewis Dobbin to Villa and Ben Godfrey to Italian side Atalanta.

As for the entry, the Tofis are hunting the Villa man themselves. Tim Iroegbunam joined the club at the start of the window, while Iliman Ndiaye also moved to Goodison Park from Marseille.

Recently, Everton have added Napoli winger Jesper Lindstrom to their side, who joins the club on a season-long loan with an option to buy. Rumors have been rife that the Toffees could once again turn to Serie A to add a player who could form a dream partnership with their new Danish midfielder.

Everton have swooped for the Serie A midfielder

The Serie A player in question here is Juventus and United States of America midfielder Weston McKennie. The former Leeds United loanee is thought to be out of favor under new manager Thiago Motta, and could now leave the Allianz Stadium this summer.

According to Italian media outlet Calcio Mercato, a way out of Turin this summer for McKennie could come from the Toffees, with the Premier League club seemingly linked with a move. The report claims that the 'latest offer' comes from Goodison Park, although they clarify that there have been 'no concrete offers' yet from Everton.

Indeed, Sean Dyche's side are not the only Premier League club to have offered McKennie the chance to leave the Old Lady this summer. Aston Villa had an offer on the table for the American, but decided to reject the Villans' deal, rejecting a salary of five million euros (£4m).

As for McKennie's price this summer, Everton must meet Juve's €20m (£17m) asking price. The report explains that there is 'no other way' for Juve to agree to sell McKennie this summer.

Why McKennie would be a good signing

The 25-year-old was a key player for Juve under Massimiliano Allegri last season, although he is not part of Juve's plans for 2024/25. McKennie played 34 times in Serie A, grabbing an impressive seven assists in that time.

If the Toffees can sign the American this summer, he could form a special relationship with their new winger Lindstrom. The Dane is an impressive dribbler, using his lithe frame to help breeze past opponents.

Since Lindstrom is a right-footed striker, he often likes to get wide and receive crosses into the box. We could see McKennie working in the right half positions and Lindstrom keeping the Toffees wide on the wing.

The Danish international struggled in front of goal last season for Napoli and did not find a goal for the Gli Azzurri. However, he clearly has an eye for goal, having scored seven goals and grabbed four assists in 27 games for Eintracht Frankfurt last campaign.

McKennie's intelligence can help Lindstrom find his best form and build a happy relationship with the Dane. Aside from his seven assists, McKennie's FBref stats show just how dangerous he can be in the final third. His average of 0.24 assists per game put him in the top 8% of midfielders in Europe.

Last season for the Old Lady, McKennie averaged 1.42 key passes per 90 minutes, putting him in the top 23% of midfielders in Europe. Not only that, America's 0.97 rating goes into the penalty zone, placing him in the top 25%.

McKennie is definitely an “underdog”, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig describes him. That is certainly reflected in his creative numbers last season. Should the Toffees do this deal, they could be signing the perfect player to unlock Lindstrom and create a dream partnership that will help propel them up the table.