Everton manager Sean Dyche has already begun the summer transfer window by selling two players and releasing two.
Lewis Dobbin has joined Aston Villa, while defender Ben Godfrey has reached an agreement to join Atalanta for a fee in the region of £10m.
Combine these sales with the fact that Dele Alli and Andre Gomes have both been released, Dyche has slashed the wage bill considerably.
Could this mean he is about to delve into the market to sign some players ahead of next season?
Everton transfer news
According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey earlier this week, Everton are interested in signing Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards during the current transfer window.
Newcastle United and Southampton are also keen on luring the youngster to the Premier League.
Sky Sports state that a transfer fee of around £10m could be more than enough to prise Edwards away from the Posh, who would be making a substantial profit on the centre-back.
With Godfrey leaving to move to Italy, there is a space for another defender in the Everton squad and a move for Edwards could see Dyche forget all about Godfrey, no doubt about that.
Ronnie Edward’s season in numbers
Football analyst H has lauded Edwards previously, claiming that he “will play for England one day” and his stats from last season suggest he is going right to the very top.
The 21-year-old made 55 appearances for his club last season, missing just one league match all campaign, showing a remarkable level of consistency as he came so close to leading his side back to the Championship via the playoffs.
The Englishman shone among his teammates in the third tier, ranking third with regards to overall Sofascore rating (7.21), first for accurate passes per game (83.4), first for accurate long balls per game (6.9), and first for clearances per game (4.1), showing how important he was for the club.
Director of football at Peterborough, Barry Fry, has heaped plenty of praise on Edwards previously, saying: “Ronnie is a Rolls Royce. We knew that when we signed him.
“It’s no secret how highly Ronnie is rated by other clubs and by the England set up. We had 18 Premier League scouts watching him play for the under 23s at our stadium.
It will surely only be a matter of when and not if the youngster makes a move to the Premier League, and he has all the necessary tools to shine in the top flight.
Dyche should use the funds gained from the sale of Godfrey to bring Edwards to Merseyside, as the Toffees could be the ideal place for him to get regular first-team football in one of the best leagues on the continent.
