Everton are to pull of a major signing this summer in signing 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international centre-back Jake O’Brien from French giants Lyon. The defender appeared 27 times in Ligue 1 last campaign, and caught the eye in a great debut season with four goals from central defence.
However, the player has made no secret of his desire to return to the Premier League, having spent two years with Crystal Palace between 2021 to 2023, without playing a game. The former Cork City youngster will join the Toffees in a deal rumoured to be worth around 12 million euros, and he will be offered a contract for five years at Goodison Park.
Everton, facing issues regarding the club’s ownership and recent point deductions, have a limited budget but have already agreed a loan deal for Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli this summer. O’Brien may well be the only signing that they can afford to bring in on a permanent basis, and manager Sean Dyche will have to be highly proactive in the transfer market and look to sign loan players to keep the club’s transfer expenditure down.
