Everton are in desperate need of reinforcements this summer following a difficult Premier League relegation scrap last season and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.
What's the latest on Everton's interest in Fode Ballo-Toure?
According to Foot Mercato, Everton are one of the many clubs interested in signing out of favour AC Milan full-back Fode Ballo-Toure.
As per the report, the Toffees are joined by fellow Premier League club Fulham, Werder Bremen and Bologna in their pursuit of the player and it is claimed that Ballo-Toure is keen to play first team football next season so would be interested in making an exit from the Serie A giants.
Who is Fode Ballo-Toure?
Whilst Sean Dyche will be focusing heavily on improving the attacking threat at Goodison Park ahead of next season, bolstering the full-back options in the squad would be a massive advantage.
Last season Vitaliy Mykolenko and Ruben Vinagre both suffered injury issues which meant the Everton boss had to deploy centre-back Ben Godfrey on the left flank of the defensive set-up on many occasions to cover the position.
Now, Vinagre has left the club following his unsuccessful season-long loan spell, returning to Sporting CP after making just two Premier League appearances and averaging 15 minutes per game, leaving behind his Ukrainian teammate as the only natural left-back remaining in the squad.
As a result, the signing of Ballo-Toure could present an ample opportunity to add depth to Dyche's left-sided options by securing a deal for a player who can bring the quality needed to push Mykolenko for his spot in the team.
The 26-year-old – hailed "exciting" by journalist Manan Bhavnanihas – struggled to earn consistent game-time since the arrival of Theo Hernandez at the San Siro and last season only made 10 Serie A appearances and five starts, which could help Everton get a deal over the line with the potential to have a much bigger impact and regular football at Goodison Park.
Despite the lack of minutes, Ballo-Toure ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, aerial duels won and blocks, as well as the top 19% for pass completion, as per FBref.
When comparing his output per 90 minutes played with Mykolenko, the Senegalese dynamo made more blocks (2.05 v 1.69), won more tackles (2.19 v 1.97), more progressive passes (3.69 v 3.39) and successful take-ons (0.82 v 0.37), proving that he is a much better ball-winner than the current Everton left-back.
It has been reported that Ballo-Toure has a transfer fee of €5m (£3.5m) this summer, which would be an absolute steal for the Merseysiders and a move that the club could facilitate despite their mounting financial troubles.
With that being said, if the club's recruitment team can strike a good deal for Ballo-Toure it would certainly improve upon the current presence in the left-back role and provides Dyche with a player he can rely on to be rotated into the team without compromising the quality or experience in the position.
While that addition may then prove bad news for Mykolenko – due to the increased competition at left-back – it would likely be a real positive as far as the Toffees are concerned.