Everton apparently agree Ben Godfrey transfer fee with Norwich

Update - 7:52pm BST

The Joyce has spoken, says it’s a done deal. We were offering £20m, they wanted £30m, so naturally we agreed at £25m, right in the middle.

Update - 7:30pm BST

Paul Joyce has confirmed Everton’s interest in Godfrey.

Everton are still in a truly desperate situation at centrehalf, not unlike late last season as well when shorn of Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina, the Blues lined up youngster Jarrad Branthwaite alongside Michael Keane with no other centre backs on the bench.

Last night Carlo Ancelotti opted to go again with his Carabao Cup experiment where he’s been using Lucas Digne as a makeshift centrehalf with Keane to give the fragile Mina a break and not play more than a game a week.

With the summer transfer deadline now in a matter of days, Everton have been linked with all manner of central defenders to help bolster the squad but no signings have been made as yet. There is certainly a type that has been seen in the names that keep popping up - defensively-solid, ball-playing and highly-mobile defenders comfortable in passing the ball out from the back. Fikayo Tomori, Jean-Clair Todibo, Unai Nunez and now the latest to join the list - Norwich City’s Ben Godfrey.

It also appears that Everton are tiring of Chelsea’s antics regarding Tomori, with Frank Lampard looking like he wants to keep the youngster and get rid of either Anton Rudiger or Kurt Zouma while demanding king’s ransoms for either. Per the Daily Mail yesterday, the Toffees have made the Canaries a £20 million offer for the youngster, with a further £6m in add-ons, with Championship side holding out for £30m.

The 22-year-old has made five appearances for the England Under-21 side, including a goal during the last international break. The right-footed player usually lines up on the left side, where Everton have a vacancy behind Mina and Branthwaite currently.

Asked about Godfrey though, Ancelotti refused to say anything, much like he has done when asked about Tomori as well.

“I said in the past. We are looking for a centre-back because we are short.

“He is a really good centre-back, but in this moment he plays for Norwich.”

The youngster remains well-regarded in the scouting community despite his inability to help a poor Norwich side survive last season in the Premier League. Seeing what the Blues have managed with Branthwaite already, it will be interesting to see where Ancelotti views Godfrey in the pecking order should the Toffees work out a deal for him.