Everton can use Demarai Gray incentive to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta as transfer news emerges

Crystal Palace are interested in Everton winger Demarai Gray with his future at Goodison Park in doubt and the Toffees can use him to secure long-term striker target Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The former Leicester City man was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for just £1.7m in 2021. However, things haven’t quite turned out well during his two years at the club with Everton avoiding relegation in consecutive seasons and his lack of starts under Sean Dyche last season.

Sky Sports journalist Alan Myers reported on 25 June that the former Leicester City man was attracting interest from four clubs including oil-rich Saudi outfit Al-Hilal, with the Jamaican international now set to leave the club.

Everton are desperate to raise funds right now, following their FFP restrictions and the reported need to sell some of their prized assets to stem their financial tide which means Gray is almost certain to leave the club, and the Toffees will be looking for a potential bargain and swap-deal opportunity in the market to strengthen their own squad while they loosen the purse strings.

Another new club has entered the frame for Gray’s signature providing Everton with the opportunity to use him as an incentive to sign a long-term target at Goodison Park.

The Daily Mail now reported on Sunday 2 July that Palace are eager to sign the Everton winger as they look for a replacement for Wilfried Zaha, potentially opening the door for Mateta to make the move in the opposite direction.

Everton have long been interested in the former Mainz 05 striker, and according to the Liverpool Echo [5 June], the 26-year-old Frenchman is “keen to leave” Crystal Palace this summer.

The newspaper adds that the striker would be available for a fee of around £10million, with the player open to a permanent or temporary move, and given the Eagles desperation to secure their replacement for Zaha, whose contract expired at Selhurst Park, this is a potential swap deal that can be done fairly quickly.

Alternatively, the Toffees could seek to take advantage of that desperation by attempting to knock down that £10m fee.

While Mateta’s goalscoring record at the Eagles doesn’t make for pleasing reading for the Goodison Park faithful, the club’s desperate need for a striker may well push Dyche to explore this opportunity.

However, the Toffees need two strikers in, not just the one with 2022 summer signing Neal Maupay set to depart after a dreadful campaign.

Mateta may not be the goalscorer that Everton requires, but his workhorse-like mentality, aggression, endeavour, experience and frame could prove crucial for Dyche, especially given his record of working wonders with similar profiles in his not-so-distant past in the Premier League.

It is a signing that makes sense, but given his torrid goal record at Palace scoring just two goals in 29 appearances last term, it’s imperative Everton attempt to recruit a more proven and reliable goalscorer alongside Mateta.

In other Everton news, an update on potential “bad blood” has emerged as the Toffees push for a surprise signing this summer.