Midfielder turns down Everton move and now agrees £6m transfer instead

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Mainz have agreed a £6 million deal for RB Leipzig midfielder Tom Krauss after the Germany U21 international turned down the chance to join Everton in the Premier League. 

Everton’s top-flight opener against Fulham is now exactly a month away, and Sean Dyche’s squad is looking woefully threadbare. 

With no new signings through the door yet – and with eight players departing – Everton’s post-season activity, or a lack thereof, is not exactly calming fears of supporters wondering if another dramatic escape from relegation is merely a case of delaying the inevitable. 

Everton look set to miss out on Leeds United’s Qatar-bound forward Rodrigo Moreno. PSG starlet Ayman Kari has opted to stay in France. And, while Almeria have confirmed the Toffees’ interest in El Bilal Toure, both clubs remain far apart in negotiations over the £34 million centre-forward. 

Everton miss out on RB Leipzig midfielder Tom Krauss

According to Sky Germany, Tom Krauss also received an offer from Goodison Park. The Germany U21 midfielder ‘ruled out a move’ to Everton, however, perhaps wary of the fact that the blue side of Merseyside has become something of a wasteground for budding talent in the Farhad Moshiri era. 

22-year-old excelled on loan at Schalke in 2022/23, even as The Miners once again fell into a hole of their own making. The RB Leipzig-owned enforcer – who was named the Bundesliga’s Young Player of the Month in both September and February – will instead join Mainz in a deal which could rise to £6 million.

Mainz, under Bo Svensson, are almost the epitome of everything Everton used to be. A hard-working, tight-knit squad punching above their weight on a limited budget. Krauss will be in good hands under one of Europe’s best young head coaches. 

Sky say that Krauss will undergo a medical before signing a contract until 2027 with the 05ers.

Everton, meanwhile, will have to take their business elsewhere as Dyche looks to strengthen a midfield which could yet be further hit by the potential departure of Amadou Onana. 

In more positive news, Everton are closing in on a deal which will see veteran free-agent Ashley Young finally become their first signing of the summer.