So far this summer, every piece of important transfer business done by Everton has seen a new, potentially star player arrive at Goodison Park.
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First, there was the one-day, double-swoop last month that brought goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and midfielder Davy Klaassen to Merseyside for a combined $68 million. Now, barely two weeks later, the Toffees are set to unveil 24-year-old Burnley defender Michael Keane as the club’s third major signing of the summer transfer window, perhaps as early as Monday, according to a report from the BBC.
The deal, which will see Ronald Koeman’s side essentially replace John Stones one year after his departure for Manchester City, will reportedly cost Everton $32.5 million, vaulting the total of their summer spending spree over the $100-million mark with six weeks to go before the start of the 2017-18 Premier League season.
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Of course, the outlook of Everton’s season hinges upon one man, Romelu Lukaku, and his immediate future. Whether or not the big Belgian striker will remain at Everton for another season may have been decided by any number of involved parties, but the general public awaits the conclusion of that particular transfer saga.
Whether or not Everton are preemptively spending the Lukaku cash in an attempt to ease the fears and/or anger of their supporters — a la Tottenham Hotspur when Gareth Bale departed for Real Madrid and a world-record fee in the summer of 2013 — or attempting to strengthen the squad at the earliest possible moment in an attempt to convince Lukaku to commit for one more season, is anyone’s guess.