Everton interested in young England defender

Buoyed by the success of the Everton Under-23 side winning the Premier League 2 title and the number of youngsters who have gone on to make their mark in the senior squad, Director of Football Steve Walsh is on a recruitment drive to add to the ranks in the Academy system.

The latest target linked with the Blues is Newcastle’s 16-year-old central defender Lewis Gibson. The Stanley-born youngster has been attracting plenty of attention and though Everton are considered in pole position for his signature, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Celtic are all reportedly in the running for the defender too. The left-sided defender still has one year on his current contract.

Gibson, whose elder brother Liam Gibson is also part of the Newcastle youth setup, has been a fixture in the U-18 side since January 2016, and has recently been called up to the U-23 side managed by Peter Beardsley.

He is currently with the England U-17 side at the European Championships in Croatia, along with Everton youngster Alex Denny. In 10 appearances for the Three Lions youth side, he has picked up two goals already.