Everton bid £50m for Watford’s Richarlison as club eyes Barcelona duo

Everton have stepped up their summer transfer activity by bidding a club-record £50m for Richarlison and stepping up talks with Barcelona pair Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina over moves to Goodison Park.

The Toffees have had a significant shake-up this off-season with the hiring of Marco Silva as manager and sporting director Marcel Brands.

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Wayne Rooney was among the big-name departures as a squad that had some expensive surgery last year but it doesn’t appear to have put off owner Farhad Moshiri, who is pumping more money into the club’s transfer budget to try and compete for a Champions League spot.

Richarlison, 21, scored five times last season in a quick start under Silva and despite those goals drying up his former boss is keen to be reunited with the young Brazilian. Watford are understood to be ready to accept the offer, which represents nearly £35m in profit on the player even when accounting for his salary.

Another young Brazilian who has been pursued by Everton is Bordeaux’s Malcom, but that deal is understood to have cooled in recent days with Leicester City and Roma among those to have entered the fray.

Everton are, however, in talks with Barca left-back Lucas Digne over a potential move to the Premier League and would be willing to pay up to £25m to secure the Frenchman who is keen to play more first-team football.

Digne’s teammate Yerry Mina, who scored three goals at the World Cup, has also had talks with Everton.

The Colombian centre-back wants to stay at the Nou Camp but after some shaky displays last season the club feels his apprenticeship would be better served somewhere else. The Spanish giants are ready to consider a permanent deal with a buyback clause or simply a loan exit with a fee up front, and Everton are understood to be near the front of the queue when Barcelona do, finally, let Mina know that he is surplus to requirements for the upcoming campaign.

Brands was interesting in signing Mina during his time as PSV Eindhoven’s sporting director but Barcelona secured a first-option deal for the then-Palmeiras man, finally activating that purchase clause last January.