Everton may be making a 'mistake' by bringing in free agent Ashley Young following his exit from Aston Villa at the end of last term, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Is Ashley Young set to join Everton?

Barring any last-minute hitch, it looks as if Young will be Sean Dyche's first signing of the summer transfer window at Goodison Park as the former Burnley boss looks to add to his thin Everton squad.

As per Sky Sports, Young is set for a medical today at Everton and could join his prospective new teammates this week in a pre-season training camp in Switzerland, where they will face Stade Nyonnais in a friendly match on Friday.

Young, who earned £50,000 per week at Aston Villa, is expected to join on a 12-month deal with the option of an extra year, providing some competition across both full-back positions and significant Premier League experience.

Luton Town also spoke to Young about the possibility of a deal at Kenilworth Road and the 38-year-old also encountered interest from Saudi Arabia in his services before choosing to join Everton, as per BBC Sport.

Carrying a wealth of top-level nous, Young has won top-flight titles in England and Italy with Manchester United and Inter Milan during his career.

Nevertheless, journalist Brown thinks that Everton signing Young could be a 'mistake' at Goodison Park as Dyche edges closer to making his first signing of the window.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown stated: "I could see why Sean Dyche might be interested in bringing Ashley Young to Everton. His experience and what he's done in the game would be important maybe in the dressing room.

"But, I think it might be a mistake for Everton to bring in a player of that age. When a club has little money to spend, it's hard to justify bringing in someone who's not going to have any sell-on value and isn't going to be around really for the long-term."

Would signing Ashley Young be a mistake for Everton?

Realistically, the fact that Everton are close to adding a 38-year-old free agent this summer is a direct consequence of their financial situation.

The Toffees will need to be reliant on free agents and loan signings to make up the numbers and are operating a sell-to-buy policy, as per Football Insider.

As per The Daily Mail, Everton are in special measures with the Premier League due to recording losses exceeding £370 million over the last three years.

Despite this, Young himself could prove to be a valuable asset given his versatility and he impressed for Aston Villa in 2022/23, contributing with 32 appearances across all competitions and scoring once, as shown on Transfermarkt.

WhoScored show that Young was a solid presence in the Villans' backline, completing 2.1 clearances and winning 1.7 tackles per match in the English top-flight.

Of course, Young isn't exactly a glamorous signing, taking into account his age and lack of sell-on value; however, his wisdom around the dressing room and relatively steady level of performance could prove to be invaluable at Goodison Park in 2023/24.

Everton need to operate on a shoestring budget due to their financial restraints and finding bargains in the market will be a route the club will have to go down as they prepare for the new season.