According to Jason Burt of the Telegraph, Everton are ‘in talks’ with Chelsea to sign Kurt Zouma this summer. The Toffees are desperate to land his signature after last season’s successful loan spell at Goodison Park, but Chelsea’s lack of first-team central defenders and two-window transfer ban could be a major stumbling block.
Gary Cahill recently left the club at the end of his contract, leaving David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christiansen for the next Chelsea boss to choose from. Zouma was on the periphery in 2018/19 but will be needed as a squad player next season while Ethan Ampadu and Fikayo Tomori may be his immediate backup.
The Blues are unable to bring in any new players until the summer of 2020. Despite this, Marco Silva is determined to land Zouma’s signature. It’s hard to see Chelsea leaving themselves short at the back for 12 months, however. The £40k-per-week defender made 36 appearances in all competitions for Everton last season and proved he can cope in the Premier League.
He’ll be wasted on the bench at Chelsea but may have an opportunity to play if Rudiger doesn’t return from his knee injury in time. Everton aren’t ready to give up on him yet, however.