Everton Targets Franculino in Late Transfer Window Push

Everton’s start has been sharp. Their transfer work is about to get sharper.

A 2-0 win over Crystal Palace has not dulled the club’s sense of what still needs doing. If anything, the early impact of the summer arrivals has hardened David Moyes’ view that this is the moment to attack the market, not admire the table.

Behind the scenes, Goodison Park is busy.

According to TeamTalk, Everton are lining up a late surge built around four key positions: striker, right-back, left-back and centre-back. The report is blunt enough: “late moves for a striker, right-back, left-back and centre-back are all on the cards for David Moyes’ side.” That is not tinkering. That is a manager trying to remodel the spine and edges of his squad before the window slams shut.

Franculino at the heart of striker search

Front and centre in those plans sits Franculino.

Everton have tracked the Midtjylland forward for a long spell and, per the report, have now “held fresh talks with the agents of Midtjylland striker Franculino, whom they have scouted extensively.” That wording matters. This is not a panic name plucked from a database in the final week. It sounds like a long-running file moving to the top of the pile.

The numbers jump off the page. Franculino has “notched an impressive 58 goals in 115 games for Midtjylland,” a return that explains why Premier League clubs are circling. An injury earlier in the year cooled immediate movement, but he is now “fully fit again and is open to a move to the Premier League.”

TeamTalk suggests “€25million (£21.4m / $29.2m) could be enough to sign him this summer,” with Newcastle also credited with interest. For a 22-year-old with that record, it is the sort of fee that turns recruitment meetings into arguments.

Everton’s push for a striker is tied directly to Beto. The club are “anticipating offers for Beto ahead of the deadline,” the report claims, but with a non-negotiable caveat: they “would not allow him to leave without first lining up a replacement.” That is the line in the sand.

Zian Flemming of Burnley has been considered as part of that equation, while a familiar name has re-entered the conversation. Richarlison. TeamTalk states: “The Brazilian would jump at the chance to re-join his former club, with Tottenham considering a sale.” The romance of that return will not be lost on supporters, but it still has to make financial and tactical sense.

For now, Franculino is the cleanest symbol of what Everton want up front: younger legs, a track record of goals, and a sense of upside rather than compromise.

Right-back hunt drags on as alternatives line up

If the striker situation is intriguing, right-back is simply urgent.

Inside the club, that position has been flagged for months as one of the most pressing needs. That stance has not shifted. As TeamTalk put it, “one of Everton's top priorities is to sign a new right-back, and the situation remains the same.”

Strasbourg’s Guela Doue has long been the preferred option. Everton “have made multiple approaches for the Ivorian international,” the report says, but the player “has been holding out for a move to a Champions League club.” That changes the dynamic. With Paris Saint-Germain now mentioned as a possible contender, Everton risk being left on read if they hang around too long.

So the gaze turns elsewhere. Crystal Palace’s Daniel Muñoz “remains under serious consideration,” with a valuation of around £25million and Palace open to offers. Muñoz would represent a more straightforward, Premier League-ready solution, but at a cost that forces a decision: pay up now, or gamble on other targets falling into place late.

The pressure on this call is obvious. Get right-back wrong, and Moyes goes into autumn still patching holes in a key area of the pitch.

Left-back cover and centre-back contingency

On the opposite flank, the logic is simple: Everton need balance.

The club are in the market for a left-back, with Nice defender Melvin Bard among those assessed. The aim is clear – push Vitaliy Mykolenko, protect him, and give Moyes proper competition in a role that has too often felt one injury away from a crisis. With a long season ahead, including the heavy, attritional months after Christmas, that depth is not a luxury.

At centre-back, everything hinges on who goes out.

TeamTalk reports that Everton “look set to make a late move for a new centre-back, due to the fact that Jake O'Brien could leave before the deadline.” The stance mirrors the Beto situation: “they would not let him go without signing a replacement.” Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Sunderland are all mentioned as possible destinations for O’Brien.

That conditional approach tells its own story. This is not a club blindly selling to create chaos. It is a club trying, at last, to sync exits with arrivals.

A window with a plan

Strip away the noise and one theme stands out: this is not scattergun, last-minute scrambling.

Everton’s strategy, as outlined in the report, points to a club attempting to stay disciplined while reacting to opportunities and potential departures. A striker, two full-backs and a centre-back is not a random wishlist. It maps directly onto long-standing weaknesses and the demands of Moyes’ style – more reliability, more athleticism, more internal competition.

Franculino is the headline chase. “58 goals in 115 games” is not an accident, and a price in the region of £21.4m puts him in the bracket where Everton can realistically compete if they move with conviction. The question is not whether his profile is attractive. It is whether they are prepared to beat rivals to him and trust that output to translate to the Premier League.

Right-back, though, might define the mood. If Guela Doue is set on Champions League football, Everton cannot afford to be passengers in someone else’s saga. Daniel Muñoz, at around £25million, looks more plug-and-play, but every big outlay now has to hit.

The stakes are obvious. Everton have started well. The window still offers the chance to turn a promising opening into something more substantial.

By deadline day, we will know if this is the summer they finally build on momentum – or watch it drift away again.