The Rumour Mill - Close Season Week 1 | OneFootball

Jarrod Bowen looks dejected after the relegation of West Ham from the Premier League

(Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Please note — and it’s frightening that we even have to have this disclaimer: This is a rumours page and features just that — rumours; stories we have read, heard, or that have been passed on to us by various clickbait merchants as we enter the close season. Please take it with a massive pinch of Halite.

With the season concluded and Evertonians left to ponder an end-of-season slump that cost the club a tidy £15M in lost merit prize money, this summer's transfer circus has officially opened its doors at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Thanks to the comforting financial cushion of The Friedkin Group’s billions, the days of Farhad Moshiri treating the club like a chaotic game of Fantasy Football are over. Dan Friedkin isn't handing David Moyes a blank cheque but that hasn't stopped the media from linking us to every moving object with a pair of boots.

Here is our deeply sceptical look at some of the larger names being churned through the mill this week. Feel free to add any more in the comments below that you come across...

The Relegation Raid: Jarrod Bowen & Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Following West Ham's shock relegation, the tabloids have predictably gone into overdrive. The latest line claims Everton are leading the "chasing pack" to grab Jarrod Bowen in a cut-price deal. Adding to the London stadium fire sale, we are also apparently ready to log a £10M bid for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, for whom the Hammers paid £15M.

Bowen is a world-class talent, and he has a strong relationship with Moyes. But half the Champions League will be sniffing around him. As for Wan-Bissaka, replacing Seamus Coleman is an absolute priority, but are we really expecting Friedkin to sanction a massive wage package for a West Ham squad salvage job? This looks like a classic "agent wants to keep his client in the Premier League" vibe.

The Celtic Sensation: Benjamin Nygren

Everton FA Cup hero Anders Limpar has been doing his best agent impression in the media, publicly backing Celtic’s Swedish attacker Benjamin Nygren to make a summer switch to Merseyside. Nygren is fresh off a blistering 21-goal domestic double season in Scotland and has been named in Graham Potter's Sweden squad for the upcoming World Cup.

Limpar's endorsement is nice sentimentality, but Scottish Premiership form always comes with a massive health warning. Nygren cost Celtic a mere £1.7M last year; suddenly he’s a "special talent" worth upwards of £25M? With his stock sky-high ahead of the World Cup, expect this rumour to drag on until Sweden are knocked out in Mexico or Texas, at which point he'll probably sign for Brighton.

Bringing the Band Back Together: John Stones & Richarlison

A couple of romantic returns have made their way to the clickbait aggregator sites. First up is John Stones, with reports suggesting with his 10-year stint at Manchester City coming to an end that Everton are "open" to bringing him home. Simultaneously, there's a rumour that we are looking to rescue Richarlison from his frustrating spell at Tottenham.

But surely Stones's injury record and astronomical wages render any rumoured romantic homecoming dead on arrival. Richarlison still holds a place in Goodison folklore, but Tottenham's squad rebuild under Roberto De Zerbi doesn't mean they're going to hand him back to us at a discount. File both under "slow news day."

The Perennial Target: Wilfried Gnonto

Ah, a classic of the genre. Like Andrey Yarmolenko or Juan Román Riquelme before him, Wilfried Gnonto simply must be linked to Everton every single summer. Reports from Football Whispers suggest Moyes is looking to renew the club's long-standing pursuit of the Leeds winger.

We couldn't or wouldn't meet Leeds’s £30M valuation when he handed in a transfer request way back in 2023. And since Leeds gained promotion from the Championship, Gnonto's price tag hasn't dropped into our "sensible Friedkin-era" budget. It wouldn't be a proper transfer window without this rumour, but don't buy your shirt just yet.

The Permanent Question: Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish enjoyed a decent loan spell with us this past season before his unfortunate injury. Now, with Pep Guardiola's exit from Manchester City triggering a massive shake-up, Enzo Maresca is reportedly ready to hand Grealish a "lifeline" back at the Etihad, putting a permanent Everton move in serious doubt.

This one actually hurts because Grealish showed flashes of genuine quality in a Blue shirt. But let’s be honest: a permanent deal was always going to stretch our wage structure to the absolute limit. If Maresca wants him back in Manchester, Moyes's chances of keeping him at Hill Dickinson Stadium drop to near zero.

Expect plenty more links to unplayable forwards and bargain free agents over the next month as agents use Everton's need for more players and wealthy ownership to drive up prices elsewhere. Hold onto your hats, it's going to be a long summer.

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Si Cooper 2 Posted 26/05/2026 at 14:24:46

According to Wikipedia it was Manure who paid the absolutely ridiculous amount of £50M for Wan-Bissaka and West Ham paid £15M.

In my opinion, he is similar to Mykolenko; pretty good at the defensive side of the role but doesn't do a lot of meaningful stuff when attacking. There surely has to be better available.

Mike Doyle 5 Posted 26/05/2026 at 15:16:09

Wilfried Gnonto must be about the same age as Juan Román Riquelme - we seem to have been linked with him for years.

A half-fit Richarlison would be a massive upgrade on the current 2 "centre forwards". as would Denis Stracqualursi.