Manchester City's Nathan Ake. (REUTERS/Molly Darlington)
Everton have enjoyed a strong summer in the transfer market, but it appears they are not finished yet, with a potential last-minute move still on the cards.
The Toffees travelled to Elland Road on Monday night for their Premier League opener against newly-promoted Leeds United, suffering a frustrating 1-0 defeat.
David Moyes will hope that their first top-flight fixture at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium inspires a better result when they host Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
In terms of arrivals this summer, Everton have secured some exciting talent.
Adam Aznou has joined from Bayern Munich, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea, and Thierno Barry from Villarreal.
Most notably, Jack Grealish has arrived on loan from Manchester City.
Mark Travers and Carlos Alcaraz round off an impressive list of summer acquisitions, but the performance against Leeds highlighted that there is still room for improvement.
According to TEAMtalk, Everton are now plotting a move for Manchester City defender Nathan Aké.
The publication reports that City are open to parting ways with the Dutchman, either through a permanent transfer or a loan deal with an obligation to buy.
Everton face competition from West Ham United, while Newcastle United are also thought to be monitoring the situation in the final days of the transfer window.
City reportedly value Aké at around £35m, and the player is said to favour a move to a club competing in European football.
Should Everton sign Nathan Aké?
There is little doubt that experienced defensive reinforcements would be a welcome addition on the blue side of Merseyside.
Vitaliy Mykolenko suffered a groin injury just days before the new campaign began.
He is currently under assessment, with no return date yet confirmed after missing the clash with Leeds.
Moyes is expected to provide further clarity on the left-back’s situation in his press conference today, but the signing of Aké would certainly relieve pressure in that position.
His versatility has often seen him deployed at left-back, despite being a renowned centre-back.
The Netherlands international – once hailed as “incredible” by Pep Guardiola – brings a wealth of experience across central defence, left-back, and even defensive midfield.
This flexibility would provide valuable depth for Everton in their pursuit to avoid getting embroiled in another relegation battle at the bottom of the Premier League.
Statistically, Aké excels in ball retention and distribution; he ranks among the top 10% of positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes, progressive carries, and pass completion per 90 minutes.
It remains uncertain whether Everton can meet City’s £35m valuation, while their loan deal for Grealish prevents them from pursuing a similar arrangement for Aké due to Premier League rules on loaning multiple players from the same club.
With all that in mind, if they do have the funds available, securing Aké’s signature would be a major statement of intent from Everton as they look to climb the table and re-establish themselves as genuine contenders for European places.
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