Squawka have dropped an interesting little exclusive, claiming that Everton are keen on not just Memphis Depay of Manchester United but also his team-mate Morgan Schneiderlin - with talks regarding deals already underway.

What’s the story?

In the wake of their last gasp 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, Everton are looking at mid-season moves for Depay and Schneiderlin, whose Man United careers have been stagnating under Jose Mourinho. The Dutch winger and French holding midfielder have managed a combined total of just 31 minutes of Premier League action in 14 games, with neither being handed a start by their Portuguese manager, despite some wobbly showings from the Red Devils.

This has seemingly piqued Ronald Koeman’s interest, with the Dutchman said to have £60m to spend when the calendar flips over to 2017. Squawka allege that both players are on his radar, with Depay of particular interest, and that ‘talks’ have been opened between the two North West clubs.

Some background

Everton’s supposed interest in Depay has been rumbling away in the press for a while now. Indeed, the pretty reliable Liverpool Echo have claimed there’s interest from the Goodison Park outfit while Koeman (via Fox Sport Netherlands) has even admitted to holding an interest in the 22-year-old, fuelling the rumour flames:

“He’s a young player with individual qualities, threat and he’s efficient.

“I would like him [to sign him] in January. He is a good and interesting player.

“He’s shown that in his early days at Manchester United. More recently though, it’s been less.”

Further to this, Everton’s official Twitter account dropped a massive hint at the club’s desire to snap up the Oranje ace, when they made reference to him netting for his national side in November…

In terms of Schneiderlin, it seems logical that Koeman would want to work with the player once again. The Dutch tactician was the man in charge of Southampton during the 27-year-old’s best season to date, 2014/15, which was the one that earned him a switch to Man United.

How would they fit?

Yannick Bolasie’s season-ending injury is likely to boost Everton’s interest in Depay. The Netherlands international is, on paper, a direct replacement for the Democratic Republic of Congo star and could slot into one of the two wide attacking roles in Koeman’s 3-4-3 or be utilised pretty easily in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 set-up – two logical systems for Everton.

Squawka say Man United were only interested in permanent deals for the ex-PSV Eindhoven man over the summer and it’s unlikely they can demand a fee in excess of the £25m they paid for him in 2015. Everton can seemingly afford that, while Depay himself is likely to be open to the chance to revive his Premier League career - even though he’s known to be a fiercely ambitious individual.

Schneiderlin, being a player Koeman knows well, would be one the manager can slot into his team with relative ease, with replacing Gareth Barry alongside the energetic Idrissa Gueye a tantalising prospect.

Everton are sure to want a marquee signing after their botched attempts to snap up Moussa Sissoko during the last window. Getting either, or even both, of the Man United men on board (either on loan or permanently) would show they mean business after a recent dip in form.

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