Everton set to complete deal to sign Lyon defender Jake O’Brien

Everton are near finishing a deal to signal Lyon defender Jake O’Brien for a €20million (£16.9m) price.

The 23-year-old was given permission to journey to Merseyside on Saturday morning to be able to finalise private phrases and is ready to signal a four-year contract at Goodison Park with the choice of an extra 12 months, topic to a medical.

O’Brien made 27 look for the French membership final season, scoring 4 objectives to assist them to a sixth-placed end in Ligue 1.

The Republic of Eire worldwide beforehand performed for Crystal Palace however left final summer season to be able to play common first-team soccer.

The south London membership agreed a sell-on clause within the £1m deal that took O’Brien to France and can obtain 20 per cent of the revenue on his transfer to Everton — roughly £3.2m.

The centre-back joined Palace from Cork Metropolis in February 2021, initially on mortgage, and went on to signify the first-team throughout pre-season excursions to Australia, Singapore and the US earlier than signing a everlasting deal later that summer season.

He spent the 2022-23 marketing campaign on mortgage at Belgian aspect RWD Molenbeek, serving to them to earn to promotion to the Belgian Professional League. Previous to that, he spent six months on mortgage at Swindon City.

O’Brien has been a long-time goal with supervisor Sean Dyche eager to strengthen this defensive choices forward of the brand new season following Ben Godfrey’s change to Atalanta final month.

Everton, who accomplished the mortgage signing of Jesper Lindstrom on Friday, start the brand new Premier League marketing campaign at house to Brighton & Hove Albion on August 17.

Extra reporting by David Ornstein

(ARNAUD FINISTRE/AFP through Getty Pictures)