According to a recent report from The Sun, Everton are eyeing up a January move for defender Chris Smalling. The 28-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and has done so since leaving Fulham back in 2010, although with his contract up at the end of the season his future at Old Trafford is far from certain.

And reports suggest that Everton manager Marco Silva is seeking to lure the £80,000-a-week ace (as per Spotrac) to Goodison Park, in a move which could bring the very best out of fellow centre back Michael Keane.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 25-year-old Keane made the move to the blue half of Merseyside back in the summer of 2017 after seriously impressing at Burnley, which was thus a move met with widespread anticipation among many Everton fans.

Yet the defender struggled in a team desperately poor defensively last season to thus call into question his £30 million price-tag - it also saw him fall out of favour on the international scene to thus miss this summer’s World Cup with Gareth Southgate’s England.

However, the 25-year-old does appear to be growing in confidence and indeed relishing the important role he currently has in Silva’s team, and some of that may be down to the steady influence alongside him in Kurt Zouma, what with the duo having started six of their last seven Premier League matches together in the heart of the Toffees backline.

Yes, in an ideal world Everton will seek to lure Zouma to the club on a permanent basis, but with that seemingly unlikely given how highly he is rated at parent club Chelsea, Silva’s men must be in the market for someone experienced and proven at top-flight level, who can slot in seamlessly alongside the England international - Smalling could be that man.

The 28-year-old may not have enjoyed the best of years of United last time round, but there have been signs this term that the Englishman may be beginning to rediscover his best form, what with Smalling having started their last nine Premier League matches.

And with over 300 appearances for one of the biggest clubs in world football, the centre back has accumulated a lot of experience over the years in both domestic and indeed European football - he is the sort of steady and accomplished centre back Keane could excel alongside.

Overall, it has been a testing first 12 months for Keane at Everton, and while he does appear to be improving under the guidance of Silva, there is still plenty of potential still waiting to be fulfilled - being part of a side that chopped and changed defenders last term, and indeed struggled in shipping 58 goals in the league, hardly helped his cause.

And bringing an experienced and accomplished centre back like Smalling to the club, thus potentially giving him a settled partner at the same time providing even more competition alongside Yerry Mina for a starting role, could get the very best out of England’s Keane.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!