Speculation is rife that Paris St Germain will turn their attention to Idrissa Gueye once again.

The Parisians are in the market for a new defensive midfielder with Adrien Rabiot expected to leave the club. PSG were admirers of Ajax wonderkid Frenkie de Jong and were prepared to break the bank to lure him to France – however – Barcelona have won the race for his signature. Thomas Tuchel is now forced to seek alternatives and could once again bid for Gueye.

Earlier in the transfer window, it was reported as per Sky Sports that PSG held an interest in the 29-year-old, who joined the Blues from Aston Villa. It is believed the Toffees will sanction his departure if the French champions meet their asking price. The funds would give Marco Silva money to sign a new forward, but Gueye would need replacing.

The man for the job could be Lille dynamo – Thiago Mendes. Valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, the 26-year-old has slotted seamlessly into the first-team after joining from Sao Paulo last year. Mendes is now considered a key player for the Ligue 1 side after hitting the ground running following his move to Europe.

Mendes is an excellent tackler, similar to Gueye, and would give Everton another layer of protection in front of the back four. The Brazilian loves to get stuck in, averaging an impressive 2.5 tackles per game this season. Unlike Gueye, Mendes is able to dictate the tempo of the game with his fantastic range of passing, averaging 2.2 key passes per game so far, meaning he would be the ideal partner for Andre Gomes in the engine room (WhoScored).

The midfielder is approaching the prime of his career, linking up with his countryman at Richarlison at Goodison Park could prove to be a wise move.

Everton fans, thoughts?