It's no secret that Everton need a major summer overhaul following on from their narrow escape from Premier League relegation at the end of last season.
Frank Lampard inherited a squad which should have had enough quality to finish much higher than their eventual position of 16th in the table, and he now has the summer transfer window to clear out some deadwood and bring in a few upgrades.
One player that the 43-year-old should be aiming to bring in sooner rather than later is Matheus Nunes from Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.
The midfielder has been linked with a move to Goodison Park according to O Jogo, who claimed that Everton showed initial interest in 2021 before continuing to watch him develop; and after a great season at Sporting, they are now looking to swoop.
Journalist Santi Aouna tweeted: “Info: Nunes has received approaches from Wolverhampton, Newcastle, and Everton. He will only be sold at the price of his release clause which is €60m.”
This works out as around £51m and would be a massive outlay for Everton, but they need to add quality to their ranks, and he is a major upgrade on Allan.
Not only is Nunes more of a goalscoring threat, netting three goals last season to the Brazilian's zero, he also took more shots (22 to seven), giving himself a better chance of scoring.
Nunes created six big chances in the league last term, whereas Allan didn’t create any, and the Portuguese gem also took 12 more touches on average compared to the Everton midfielder (59.5 to 47.5), showing his composure on the ball.
Nunes was only dribbled past 0.7 times per match last season, while Allan let opponents go past him 2.5 times per 90 minutes.
These figures show the type of player that Lampard requires, and he could finally axe Allan in the process. Having been described as “one of the best players in the world today” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, then it's clear he will be able to excel in the Premier League.