Everton's Transfer Push: Targeting Franculino and Key Positions

Everton’s start to the season has been sharp. The transfer work behind it is about to get sharper.

A controlled 2-0 win over Crystal Palace has not dulled David Moyes’ appetite for change. It has clarified it. The new arrivals have landed well, but Goodison Park is bracing for a frantic final stretch of the window, with key areas of the squad still firmly in play.

According to TeamTalk, Everton are preparing a significant late push, with a striker, right-back, left-back and centre-back all on the agenda. The report is blunt: “late moves for a striker, right-back, left-back and centre-back are all on the cards for David Moyes’ side.” Intent is not in doubt. Neither is the urgency.

Franculino at the centre of the plan

The headline name is Franculino.

Everton have tracked the Midtjylland forward for a long time and, crucially, have now “held fresh talks with the agents of Midtjylland striker Franculino, whom they have scouted extensively.” That line tells its own story. This is not a last-minute dart at a random name; the groundwork is there.

His numbers demand attention. Franculino has “notched an impressive 58 goals in 115 games for Midtjylland” and, after injury scuppered a potential move earlier in the year, he is now “fully fit again and is open to a move to the Premier League.” TeamTalk suggests that “€25million (£21.4m / $29.2m) could be enough to sign him this summer”, with Newcastle also credited with interest.

Everton’s striker thinking is wrapped around Beto’s future. The club are “anticipating offers for Beto ahead of the deadline”, but with one non-negotiable: they “would not allow him to leave without first lining up a replacement.” That replacement could be Franculino. Burnley’s Zian Flemming has also been discussed. So has a far more familiar figure.

Richarlison’s name has re-emerged, with the report claiming: “The Brazilian would jump at the chance to re-join his former club, with Tottenham considering a sale.” Whether that becomes realistic or not, it underlines the scale of Everton’s ambition in the final days.

Right-back hunt reaches critical stage

Inside the club, right-back has been a red-flag position for months. That stance has not shifted.

TeamTalk writes that “one of Everton’s top priorities is to sign a new right-back, and the situation remains the same.” Strasbourg defender Guela Doue has long been the preferred option, but the chase is getting tangled.

Everton “have made multiple approaches for the Ivorian international, but the player has been holding out for a move to a Champions League club.” Now Paris Saint-Germain are being mentioned as a possible destination. The message is clear: if Doue is waiting for the elite, Everton cannot sit on their hands.

Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz is the alternative in sharp focus and “remains under serious consideration.” Palace are said to be open to offers, with the Colombian valued at around £25million. It would be a serious outlay, but for a position Everton have repeatedly had to patch up, it may be unavoidable.

Defensive depth to shape deadline drama

On the left, the picture is more straightforward. Everton want competition for Vitaliy Mykolenko and greater balance for a long, attritional season. Nice defender Melvin Bard is among those assessed as they look to plug that gap.

At centre-back, everything hinges on exits. TeamTalk reports that Everton “look set to make a late move for a new centre-back, due to the fact that Jake O’Brien could leave before the deadline.” The stance mirrors the Beto situation: “they would not let him go without signing a replacement.” Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Sunderland are all mentioned as possible destinations for O’Brien.

This is where the final days of the window could be defined. One departure, one opportunity, and suddenly the boardroom has to move at speed.

A window with a clear idea

What stands out is the structure behind all this. These are not scattergun, last-ditch punts. The pattern is obvious: one striker, two full-backs, a centre-back. It fits what Everton have lacked in recent seasons.

From an Everton perspective, the report feels like a club finally thinking across the whole pitch instead of lurching from crisis to crisis. You can see the outline of Moyes’ blueprint already: more reliability, more athleticism, more internal competition.

Franculino is the intriguing swing. “58 goals in 115 games” is a serious return, and if he is genuinely available at around £21.4m, it looks like the kind of deal Everton should attack. Supporters will naturally wonder how quickly he could adapt to the Premier League, but the profile is exactly what the club have so often missed: young, productive, with room to grow. If Beto leaves and Everton replace him with a forward on that sort of upward curve, it would send a powerful message about where they are heading.

Right-back, though, feels like the fire alarm. If Guela Doue is holding out for the Champions League, Everton cannot afford to be dragged along and left scrambling. Daniel Munoz offers a more ready-made answer, even if £25million is a heavy swing.

Left-back and centre-back are about avoiding the same old story: a bright September, then a squad stretched thin by October.

Everton have started well. The mood around Goodison is lighter than it has been for a long time. The question now is simple: will the club seize this window to harden that optimism into something more durable, or let the chance slip in the final days?