Is Pape Gueye the signing to complete Everton’s midfield?

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Everton are reportedly nearing an agreement to sign Pape Gueye from Villarreal for a fee in the region of £28m.

Gueye has been a name on Everton’s radar for some time, with Spanish outletFichajes, albeit of questionable reliability, now reporting that an agreement between the Blues and the midfielder has been reached.

It follows reports from other outlets, including Marca, that Gueye had been a leading summer target for David Moyes. A transfer fee of an initial €28m (£23.8m) with a further €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons has been discussed between the clubs.

Should the move materialise, it should be considered a coup for an Everton side without European football. Villarreal rejected offers in the region of €40m for Gueye in January, with Galatasaray among his suitors. The Senegal international opted to turn down a transfer in favour of seeing out the season at El Madrigal.

The 27-year-old was an integral part of Villarreal’s Champions League qualification last season and has been an outstanding performer for club and country in recent years.

He was named in the AFCON Team of the Tournament earlier this year, alongside Idrissa Gueye, as Senegal secured the title before the controversy of being stripped. It was Gueye’s fine finish in extra-time that decided the final on the field, concluding a fantastic tournament for the midfielder, who led the knockout stages for shots (16), shots on target (9) and goals (3). This summer, he scored twice and assisted another for Senegal at the 2026 World Cup.

His mid-season showings for Senegal were the continuation of good form at club level. Gueye scored five goals in 26 league starts for The Yellow Submarine, and produced some encouraging numbers with his distribution. Gueye ranked in the top five midfielders in La Liga last season for forward pass ratio (3rd), through passes completed (3rd), progressive passes (4th), and long passes completed (5th) per 90 minutes.

For a predominantly defensive-minded midfielder, Gueye’s ball-winning numbers are unremarkable. But with James Garner excelling in that area last season, Gueye’s athleticism and ability to cover the ground with long-legged strides look an ideal complement to last season’s Player of the Year. With Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Hayden Hackney buzzing around ahead of that axis, and Merlin Röhl offering further dynamism, it’s a midfield makeup that looks exciting.

In his prime years, at a comparatively modest fee given the sums spent on midfielders elsewhere, it’s a potential deal that makes sense for Everton.

Reader Comments (31)

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Paul Hewitt 2 Posted 22/07/2026 at 14:27:55

This is old transfer news.

Unlikely to happen.

Harry Diamond 3 Posted 22/07/2026 at 14:44:50

The report from Fichajes that he's reached an agreement with Everton is from today, Paul.

I guess we'll see on reliability but a positive move if true.

David West 4 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:16:43

It's exactly the type of midfielder we need, up and down scores creates, powerful, our midfield may have some nice ball players now, but I've thought we are a bit lightweight, this would make a big difference.

Hope it's not another bullshit one though, or we just get bummed by another Premier League club in Europe paying bigger wages that steals him.

Jack Convery 5 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:18:35

Er, any sign of a right back ? A good signing imo, if it happens. I'm sure Gana Gueye has told him all about Everton and the fan base.

David West 6 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:25:07

I'd imagine every club, agent, player's nans know Everton are desperate for a right-back. They will be sticking high prices on anyone we show intrest in. Patience is needed.

The World Cup just finished and we all know the domino effect, once the huge spenders blow their load, they need to off-load.

We should have got Spence before the World Cup... a few million extra now!!

Paul Hewitt 7 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:29:44

Rico Lewis.

I really don't understand why he hasn't been signed yet.

Andrew Ellams 8 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:42:28

So many of these names are just media rumours...

When they haven't signed a couple of weeks down the line, there's probably a good reason for it.

Ian Bennett 9 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:43:21

Because, Paul, Man City are probably waiting to sign a replacement before they sanction an exit. They're in control here, and the other 4 or 5 clubs interested will need to be patient.

Andrew Ellams 10 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:46:10

David @ 4, he's a good player but don't get too excited about his goals. His career average including internationals is around 1 in 14.

Tom Bowers 11 Posted 22/07/2026 at 15:55:04

Obviously the squad wasn't good enough last season and for quite a few seasons before that so if we have outgoings then we need incomings assuming they will improve things.

A few names have been mentioned for the chop so now, with a few weeks before the start of the new season, let's all hope the full-back situation is resolved and possibly the quality striker we crave for.

Mike Powell 12 Posted 22/07/2026 at 16:20:33

Still no right back

Eric Myles 13 Posted 22/07/2026 at 16:30:14

Another midfielder?

Looks like a couple could be going out on loan, or sold, especially if Grealish is also still in the frame.

Frank Fearns 14 Posted 22/07/2026 at 17:16:08

Everton supporters deserve more than this silence other than a trickle of clickbaits.

Ajay Gopal 15 Posted 22/07/2026 at 17:41:06

This would be an exciting signing, especially if Everton were to sell Tim Iroegbunam and don’t extend Gana Gueye’s contract. Push Garner to RB - after all, Liverpool and Man City did that last season with Szoboslai and Nunes, so why not?

If Ndiaye, Patterson, McNeil and Iroegbunam are sold and Grealish is not resigned….

Barry George Dewsbury-Hall Dju Gueye Hackney Mykolenko Branthwaite O’Brien Garner Pickford

Backups: Beto, Alcaraz, Dibling, Rohl, Armstrong, Aznou, Keane, Tarkowski, + maybe 1-2 loan players

John Pickles 16 Posted 22/07/2026 at 17:42:37

I can imagine it now, 'Hayden, Kiernan, James, Merlin, Pape, three times around the building. First three play Center Mid, fourth one in on the bench, last one plays Right-Back!'

Raymond Fox 17 Posted 22/07/2026 at 19:30:08

Seems like one Gueye for another, I suppose, if it happens; we are getting well overstocked for midfielders if it does.

Ajay, I think Grealish will be re-signed, but obviously the stumbling block will be the cost.

Tom Bowers 18 Posted 22/07/2026 at 19:50:05

They have a bunch of pre-season games coming up but I expect the two in Germany and the Barcodes game to be the acid test of players who Moyes plans to start the season.

We all await to see how the new additions fare, whoever they are, but Hackney, Rohl, Armstrong and George are four players I think could play a big part in a good start provided Moyes doesn't keep them on the bench and merely give them a only a few minutes each game.

David West 19 Posted 22/07/2026 at 20:14:47

Andrew 10.

Is that better than Gana, or Garner, I'd ask?

David West 20 Posted 22/07/2026 at 20:23:54

Garner 3 in 114...

So yeah, goals needed from midfield.

Andrew Ellams 21 Posted 22/07/2026 at 21:19:59

David, better than pretty much nothing is nothing to get excited about.

David West 22 Posted 22/07/2026 at 21:30:55

Andrew, I take the reports of Everton in for players with a massive jar of salt, mate.

We haven't got enough employees, never mind the recruitment team, to be chasing the amount of players I've seen Everton linked with, so I'll just say he'd be a good signing, better than Iroegbunam, Alcaraz and an upgrade on Gana.

Paul Griffiths 23 Posted 22/07/2026 at 22:43:30

I really do like that Senegal second shirt.

We're assembling a little team within the team here who we can rely on to walk off the pitch if a real shitty decision goes against us.

Mark Taylor 24 Posted 22/07/2026 at 23:31:21

He's a decent player and the price quoted is fair assuming the wages are. But we are recruiting in midfield where were are relatively strong. Everywhere else (goalie aside) is weak. Right-back is worse than that.

It reminds me of when we ended up having god knows how many Number 10s and that didn't end well.

Maybe the idea is to sell Charlie and Tim to generate some funds for where the real improvement is needed. I sure hope so. Right now, we are definitely more shopping at Lidl rather than Sainsbury's, let alone Waitrose or Fortnum & Mason.

Paul Griffiths 25 Posted 22/07/2026 at 23:48:33

Agree Mark (24). We seem to be piling up midfielders.

This is not where Saints Daniel-the-Absent and Angus-the-Silent and their expensively assembled crack recruitment team will be properly judged. They will be judged on whether or not they effectively solve our issues at full-back and up-front.

Jim Bennings 26 Posted 23/07/2026 at 05:31:09

A replacement for Gana, a very different player to Garner.

James Garner is more a controlled type player than an all action type, Pape Gueye is more all action.

We still need some fullbacks than can actually overlap the wide midfielders though, a look at our team it's still way too pedestrian going forward.

Ian Wilkins 27 Posted 23/07/2026 at 09:07:47

Last Summers transfer window was a mixed bag, at best. Slow to recruit, late deals, negotiations taking all window; missed priorities, especially right back. January was a missed opportunity when AFCON, injuries, plus a clear chance of Europe were staring us in the face. Keeping our powder dry for phase 2 of the rebuild it was said. How’s phase 2 going? Bearing in mind new recruitment team been in place a while now, you would hope with a plan and clear realistic targets. Slow, and if there is a plan ( other than cast offs and let’s just wait and see what’s available) it’s very well hidden.

Andrew Ellams 28 Posted 23/07/2026 at 09:18:55

If we do finalise this one we've probably got two midfielders to many so sounds like two from Armstrong (loan), Tim and Alcaraz will be moved on.

Not sure where it leaves Hayden Hackney though. Out of Garner, Gueye and Dewsbury-Hall where does he fit in?

Sean Mitchell 29 Posted 23/07/2026 at 11:39:01

Chelsea sign Rogers in the blink of an eye.

Everton fall asleep all summer. I’ve seen more go in a slug.

We’re always the slowest club to get deals done. This one has been dragging on since the World Cup. If it’s even true.

Even the Hackney deal wasn’t the quickest.

Pre season has started. Get a move on for fucks sake

Mike Corcoran 30 Posted 23/07/2026 at 13:38:48

Looks like Everton are content to just about stay in the premier league, bring that TV cash and off field / stadium related activity cash in and coast to a lower mid table finish. Maybe the next phase of transfers will only kick in on a change of manager, I.e next summer