View: Everton may already have Onana replacement in £12.6m Copa America ace

Everton are preparing for life without Amadou Onana at Goodison Park.

The Belgium international had a fairly solid season for Sean Dyche’s men last term and even showcased his talent on the international stage in Euro 2024.

Thanks to these performances across the 2023/24 campaign, the 22-year-old has managed to get his wish of playing playing Champions League football next season.

Aston Villa have had a £50million bid accepted for the midfielder (Fabrizio Romano) who will no doubt be used as a direct replacement for Douglas Luiz.

Onana will likely slot straight into Unai Emery’s team and add some solidity in the Villans’ midfield.

Obviously a replacement will be needed and thanks to a fresh transfer update from Brazilian outlet UOL (18 July), it feels as if the Toffees might have found their man.

That’s because Palmeiras midfield Richard Rios is reportedly available for the minimal a fee between £12.6m and £16.8m.

Everton should try entice Richard Rios to Goodison Park this summer

Alongside attacking reinforcement, the Toffees have also been linked with additions across the pitch.

One key area that they’ve been looking to improve is that of centre-midfield.

It’s been evident since the start of the window that Onana was likely to find a way out of Goodison Park this summer.

And now that finally looks set to happen, Sean Dyche can start looking at his replacements.

Rios was stellar for Colombia in Copa America 2024 and is still just 24 years old. Although he is yet to play outside of Brazil, the talent he has shown is second to none.

The fact that he’s younger than reported target Arthur Melo [Gianluca Di Marzio, 22 July] also plays in his favour as Everton continues exploring the market.

In reality, if Everton wanted both players they could easily afford to acquire both players thanks to Onana’s sale but nothing is set in stone yet.

However, one thing is for sure, this will be a saga to keep an eye on this summer.

In other Everton news, an update has been provided on the Manchester United pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite.

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