Everton are plotting ways to strengthen their squad after losing John Stones to Manchester City this week, with Juan Mata reportedly on their radar.
The England international made the switch to the Etihad in a deal worth £47.5m on Tuesday, as reported by BBC Sport, leaving Ronald Koeman with a headache or two.
While the Dutch tactician will undoubtedly prioritise bringing in a central defender to directly replace Stones, he’ll have ambitious plans of stamping his mark on the squad across the board.
That process will see him target United playmaker Juan Mata, according to De Telegraaf, which would see the pair reunited after previously working together at Valencia.
The Spaniard’s future is very much still in doubt after the arrival of Jose Mourinho earlier this summer, with his former Chelsea boss opting to offload him during their time together at Stamford Bridge.
Having seemingly been deemed surplus to requirements again in Manchester, Mourinho will likely be open to offers for Mata and Everton could now satisfy his demands.
Everton finished in 11th place in the Premier League last season, and the disappointing nature of their campaign ultimately led to the decision to replace Roberto Martinez.
In contrast, Koeman had enjoyed two successful seasons at Southampton, and he will now be expected to build on his work at St. Mary’s by bringing better results to Goodison Park.
Naturally, losing Stones would have been a massive blow to his plans, but if he is able to reinvest the money generated by his sale well and bring in the right players to reinforce the squad as a whole, it will be seen as a smart piece of business with the Toffees desperate to get back up the table as of this coming season.