Everton are eyeing a move to sign Tottenham and England star Djed Spence this summer to strengthen their right-back position, according to The Athletic.
The Toffees are looking to bolster their squad after a 13th-placed finish in the Premier League last season, and have already splashed the cash to bring in Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, while Merlin Rohl's loan move has been made permanent.
However, after allowing Seamus Coleman to depart at the end of his contract, and with Nathan Patterson expected to depart during the transfer window, right-back has emerged as a position the club are looking to strengthen.
Everton Eyeing Spurs Star Djed Spence
Spence, who has been described as the fastest player in the England squad, has been a regular at Tottenham over the last two seasons, playing at both right-back and left-back on a number of occasions.
He is currently featuring for England at the World Cup, and came on as a late substitute for Thomas Tuchel during their huge 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium to claim a place in the quarter-finals, where they will take on Norway.
But while he has become a valued member of the England squad, his place in the Spurs squad is not as cemented following the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi.
Spurs have added six players to their squad so far this summer, including defenders Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, while right-back Pedro Porro has signed a new long-term contract, and Destiny Udogie is expected to be a key member of the side.
That has left Spence battling for his spot, and Everton are ready to offer him a chance to claim a starting role at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as part of David Moyes' side.
The Merseyside club have a number of options on their shortlist for the position, including Arsenal star Ben White, but no deals are advanced.
Spence Would Be Huge Upgrade for Everton
Everton and Moyes are well known for having a solid defence, and in recent times they have done that with a makeshift squad.
Jake O'Brien has been first-choice right-back ever since Moyes took over, but he is naturally a centre-back and he struggles to make an impact when going forward as a result. On the opposite flank, Vitalii Mykolenko has been a reliable option, but he needs competition to get better.
Spence would be a huge upgrade on every full-back at the club, and if a deal is there to be done for the Toffees then it would be a shrewd bit of business to do this summer.