The top class free agent signings Everton could make this summer - including Newcastle & Southampton stars

It’s no secret that Everton are likely to be pretty busy this summer, with new owners keen to back David Moyes and build a team worthy of their shiny new stadium – but it’s equally clear that the Toffees will have to be pretty cash conscious given the mess that the new chairman inherited from his predecessors.

Fortunately, this is one of the better summers in which to be skint, at least if you’re a football club. The free agent market is normally pretty desolate, but for whatever reason there are dozens of top-level players set to run down their contracts.

Everton may not be in the market for the likes of Joshua Kimmich and Mohamed Salah (can you imagine?) but there are a lot of proven pros that could perhaps fill holes in Moyes’ squad – so we’ve picked out four names to keep an eye on.

Kyle Walker-Peters – Southampton

It may feel like Walker-Peters has been around forever, but the twice-capped England international is still only 27 and has plenty left in his legs – which could be handy, given that Seamus Coleman can only keep playing for so long and Nathan Patterson is perennially injured.

Walker-Peters is expected to move on from St. Mary’s when his contract expires in June and could be a very useful, if not necessarily flashy, rotation option, especially given that he can provide support on the left of defence as well if Ashley Young needs a breather. They’ll have competition, mind you, with West Ham strongly linked with a bid.

Pablo Rosario – OGC Nice

Everton are pretty well set at centre-half as it stands, but should the rumours linking Jarrad Branthwaite to a host of big clubs prove true then it could suddenly become a position that needs filling urgently. Fortunately, ball-playing defender Rosario, who can also play as a holding midfielder, is coming onto the open market in a few months.

The 28-year-old Dutchman isn’t a big name, but he’s had a very decent career with PSV and Nice, has excellent ball skills, reads the game well and would offer a rock solid base of possession along with a depth option in the middle of the park, all without costing a penny up front.

Krépin Diatta – AS Monaco

A versatile Senegalese player who can operate on either wing or as a wing-back, the 26-year-old Diatta would offer Moyes a lot of the things he needs for his direct, hard-working strategy.

An excellent dribbler who can carry the ball swiftly downfield and create chances, he’s also excellent out of possession, making a ton of tackles and forcing turnovers up and down the pitch. He’s not a big goalscorer and has only been responsible for two assists in the last two seasons in the league, but injuries have played their part in that.

Assuming he’s fit and healthy come the summer, he’d offer depth in several positions of need. Greek outfit PAOK are reportedly interested, but there’s no reason Everton couldn’t weigh in with a bid of their own. Not a starry signing, but a useful squad piece perhaps.

Callum Wilson – Newcastle United

Wilson may not come up on the free agent market this summer. Newcastle have a one-year option to extend him, but it’s possible that his injury history persuades them to move on from the former Bournemouth man – and equally possible that his track record of spending time in the treatment room dissuades Everton from making a move, too.

But Dominic Calvert-Lewin looks likely to leave this summer and while Beto has finally hit some form, there’s a clear need for at least one more striker for the sake of depth – and when Wilson is healthy, he remains a well-rounded forward and an efficient finisher who typically outscores his xG and has proven the ability to get goals in volume. It would be a gamble, perhaps, but one which offered pretty high reward for all the risk.