Everton will be looking for reinforcements this summer after another disappointing campaign in the Premier League and now an update has emerged on a potential new transfer target.
What's the latest on Everton's interest in Batista Mendy?
According to popular French news outlet L'Equipe, Everton will compete with a number of Premier League clubs to secure the signature of Angers midfielder Batista Mendy.
As per the report, the Toffees join Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their interest of the Frenchman, and it is claimed it will only take €6m (£5m) to complete a deal.
Who would Batista Mendy replace at Everton?
There is no doubt that Sean Dyche will be wanting to make his mark on the Everton squad over his first summer transfer window at Goodison Park and will need to make some huge decisions on the futures of many of his players.
Whilst reinforcements are desperately needed in the forward line in particular, adding depth and quality all over the pitch will be essential to improve their chances of competing in the Premier League more comfortably next season.
Not only that, the former Burnley boss has a number of players with contracts expiring as Seamus Coleman, Yerry Mina, Asmir Begovic, Andros Townsend and Tom Davies are all out of contract next month, so there's a chance that the manager will lose a few of his first team regulars this summer too.
As a result, the signing of Mendy could be a great opportunity to add some depth into midfield with Davies' future uncertain. Indeed the young talent could even be an upgrade on the Everton academy graduate.
When comparing the positional peers' output over this season, the 23-year-old has outperformed the Everton midfielder in a number of attributes including shot-creating actions per 90 (1.26 v 1.00), pass completion rate (86.2% v 73.9%), successful take-ons (62.3% v 50%) and aerial duels won (67.5% v 35%), as per FBref.
Despite being relegated from Ligue 1 this season, Mendy has shown some promising capabilities and consistency over his 35 appearances for Angers – winning 56% of his duels combined and successfully completing 68% of his dribbles, as well as averaging two tackles, 51.6 touches and 35.1 accurate passes per game.
It is clear that the 6 foot 3 colossus is a confident ball-winner with a huge presence in the centre of the pitch and doesn't shy away from getting stuck into a challenge with opponents, something that would suit Dyche's direct and defensive style of play where hard-working players thrive the most.
With that being said, if the powerbrokers at Goodison Park could secure the cut-price deal to land Mendy, he could continue to develop and polish his skills under a manager who can get the best from him and provides Dyche with a fantastic upgrade on Davies.