Everton will be looking to go one step further this season and bring European football to the Hill Dickinson Stadium after narrowly missing out on European qualification last season.

David Moyes’ side, at one point, looked on course to secure at least a Europa Conference League place, but ended the season in 13th place, four points off eighth-placed Brighton and Hove Albion who took the final European spot.

The Toffees are now starting to get active in the transfer window. A deal has reportedly been agreed with Middlesbrough for attacking midfielder Hayden Hackney, and now it looks as though Everton will be completing a double swoop from Chelsea.

Everton set for double Chelsea swoop

According to BBC Sport, Everton are closing in on a permanent deal for winger Tyrique George, who spent four months on loan with the Toffees last season. Additionally, Fabrizio Romano has reported that they are also set to complete a move for Chelsea academy product Arthur Barratt with a “fee agreed”.

George made 11 appearances for the Toffees in the second half of last season but failed to register a goal or an assist.

The England Under-21 international has played 37 times for Chelsea’s first team, scoring six times and providing another six assists, but is expected to be have been deemed surplus to requirements by new boss Xabi Alonso.

At 20, George still boasts plenty of potential and Blues fans will be hoping to see more from the young wide man in an Everton shirt than they did during his loan spell.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old midfielder Barratt is expected to be a signing for the future but is highly rated at Cobham and was subject to interest from other Premier League clubs. The teenager is likely to be a replacement for young midfielder Demi Akarakiri, who is set to join Serie A side Cagliari.

Everton making a mark in the transfer window

It’s been a slow start to the summer in the transfer market, particularly with the World Cup currently ongoing. However, it now looks as though Everton are ready to start making some moves.

Out of the three pending additions, fans are likely going to be most excited by the arrival of Hackney, who was one of the best midfielders in the Championship last season.

The 23-year-old scored six goals and registered eight assists as Boro were beaten in the play-off final by Hull City and is now set for his dream Premier League move.

Meanwhile, after a mixed loan spell last season, George’s arrival may not be the statement signing Everton fans are hoping for. However, the winger has plenty of potential and could develop into a valuable forward for Moyes’ team.

As for Barratt, the teenage midfielder will be one for the future, but certainly a player to keep tabs on.

France have looked unplayable at the 2026 World Cup, brushing aside Senegal, Iraq and Norway in the group stage, before picking apart Sweden in the round of 32.

Les Bleus have scored 13 times in just four matches, and possibly have the best squad depth in the entire tournament. For most people, France are the favourites to lift the trophy, even if they’ve only played one team in the top 20 of FIFA’s rankings.

Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, has watched much of that group stage from the bench, with Spain managing his minutes carefully after a hamstring injury threatened to rule him out of the tournament entirely. Even so, it hasn’t stopped Zlatan Ibrahimovic from declaring him the best player in the world.

But, when Yamal himself was asked who had impressed him most, his answer skipped right past France’s best players.

Vinicius Junior, Lionel Messi and a Surprise Inclusion

Credit: Jerome Miron (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

In what might be somewhat of a surprise, despite beginning the World Cup as well as any player, he opted for a Real Madrid star, as well as a Barcelona legend that he likely would have always included. “Vini Jr for sure, then obviously there’s Messi,” he said, putting two of the tournament’s biggest draws at the top of his list.

Neither name will shock anyone, with Vinicius continuing to terrorise defences down the left for Brazil, and Messi still finding moments of magic in what could realistically be his final World Cup.

Both men make up two of the trio of players who scored in all three of their group stage matches, but the third was also part of his picks:

Saibari has a far smaller profile than the two he’d just named alongside him, but he’s already sealed a £47.5 million transfer to European giants Bayern Munich, and his performances at the World Cup have him primed for further success.

Saibari has been a key part of an Atlas Lions side that has impressed plenty of neutrals so far, and for Yamal to put him in the same breath as Vinicius Junior and Messi is a notable show of respect. Even if Yamal’s Moroccan ties might carry some slight bias, it’s been well backed up by the 25-year-old’s finishing.

The Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise Snub

Kyle Rodden/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA

What’s more surprising is who didn’t make the cut. Kylian Mbappe has been the standout figure of France’s World Cup campaign, scoring six times and moving clear of Olivier Giroud as his country’s all-time top scorer in the process, as well as overtaking Miroslav Klose for second on the list of all-time World Cup scorers, with the chance for him to overtake Messi for the outright lead if he can finish this tournament with two more goals than him.

Michael Olise has been just as influential on the right flank, registering five assists. Add in contributions from Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, and France’s front line is statistically the most productive unit at the entire World Cup by some distance.

For Yamal to overlook both Mbappe and Olise, given the weight of what they’ve produced, suggests it’s not just about who’s topping the stat sheets. Vinicius, Messi and Saibari have all had their own moments of quality this tournament, so it’s less a case of Yamal favouring flair over output, and more that he’s simply picked out three players whose performances have stuck with him.

Iconic former Germany striker Miroslav Klose has been proven wrong after Kylian Mbappe eclipsed his World Cup goalscoring record.

Mbappe is in red-hot form for tournament favourites France, and the Real Madrid forward was at the double in a 3-0 win over Sweden. He took his tally to six goals in four games with two brilliant strikes.

The 27-year-old is now level with Lionel Messi in the goalscoring charts, and the pair are staging a memorable battle for the Golden Boot. His brace against the Swedes also made history as he overtook Klose as the outright second all-time top scorer in World Cup history.

Klose Backed Mbappe to Break World Cup Record

Mbappe has now managed 18 goals in as many World Cup games, putting him second behind Messi in the all-time goalscoring charts. The Argentina legend sits on 19 in 21 games, which includes the six he’s registered during the ongoing tournament.

Klose held the record for the most goals in the competition’s history for 12 years, but he has now moved down to third. The German hero had tipped Messi to break his record this year, while incorrectly predicting that Mbappe would do so at the 2030 World Cup.

The former Bayern Munich striker told Sport BILD: “I’m sure my goal-scoring record at the World Cup will be broken soon. Either Lionel Messi will achieve it at this World Cup, or at the latest Kylian Mbappe will do it at the next one.”

Mbappe has been magic for France, and he’s now chasing Messi in a hotly-contested Golden Boot race. Klose added:

“I’m a huge Messi fan. If it happens, I’d hope it’s him, if he’s still playing. But Mbappé is also an incredible talent. I wish them both good health and the ability to perform.”

Klose won the World Cup with Germany back in 2014, and he is the only player to win four medals, having finished third place in 2006 and 2010 and runner-up in 2002. He made 24 appearances in the tournament during his career, posting 16 goals and four assists.

Mbappe on Chasing Klose’s ‘Surreal’ Record

Kyle Ross (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Mbappe is participating in just his third World Cup campaign, and he already has a winners’ medal from France’s 2018 title. He lit up that tournament at the age of 19 and is now in his prime eight years later.

The time he’s taken to eclipse Klose’s record is simply astonishing, and he acknowledged this ahead of this year’s competition. He told Olivier Giroud for La Parisien in mid-June:

“Everyone talks to me about Klose’s record. I think it’s the first time in my life that a record has felt unreal. Because to me, it was unthinkable that in a competition every great legend of the game has played in, I’d already be at that level after just two World Cups at the age of 27.”

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Mbappe added: “To imagine being the person who has scored the most goals in the entire history of the World Cup is pretty surreal.”

The France captain insisted his main priority is to win the World Cup and “bring home a third star.” If he and Les Bleus continue as they are, no team will prevent them from becoming world champions.