Everton could acquire winger Jaden Philogene on a season-long loan as part of the deal that will see Amadou Onana head to Aston Villa, according to former Toffees chief Keith Wyness.
Onana has been heavily linked with a number of top clubs this summer but it looks like Villa have finally won the race for his signature, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the player has a medical booked and is expected to complete a £50m-plus-add-ons move on Monday.
However, according to Wyness — who served as CEO at Everton between 2004 and 2009 — the deal could get a little sweeter for the Toffees.
Everton showed interest in winger Philogene after he notched 12 goals and six assists in 32 Championship appearances for Hull City last season. However, the 22-year-old opted to return to Aston Villa just a year after leaving the Midlands club.
But Everton may still get their man, with Wyness hinting that a loan for Philogene may be included in the Onana transfer.
“I thought Onana was in the £65m range, so £50m was a bit of a surprise for me,” Wyness told the Football Insider Inside Track podcast.
“I’ve heard it’s actually up to £55m with add-ons, which softens the blow a little bit.
“I’m wondering if there might be an addition here that we might get something like Philogene on loan from Villa.
“If that was the case, then having that sort of player, who we have shown a big interest in coming in on loan for a year, that would make sense in terms of the total valuation of the deal altogether.
“However, we don’t know if that’s real or not yet, it’s just my own supposition.
“But I do think there’s a possibility there.”
Everton and Aston Villa have already been heavily involved with each other’s summer transfer business, with Lewis Dobbin leaving Goodison for the Midlands and Tim Iroegbunam heading the other way.