Everton will need to seriously strengthen their squad should they secure survival in the Premier League this season and now a new potential transfer target has emerged ahead of the summer.

What's the latest on Florentino Luis to Everton?

According to the Portuguese newspaper Record, Everton are plotting a move for Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis.

As per the report, Everton are joined by Manchester United in their pursuit of the player but will not be able to make contact until the summer with the Portuguese giants keen for the player to concentrate on the remainder of the campaign.

Could Luis be the dream Idrissa Gueye heir?

Despite Everton's struggles this season, there is no doubt that Idrissa Gana Gueye has been one of the standout consistent performers at Goodison Park since reuniting with his former club in the summer.

The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has tallied up an 86% pass completion rate, won 58% of his duels and successfully completed 65% of his dribbles over 18 Premier League appearances, proving that he has been a reliable presence in the centre of the pitch.

Unfortunately for Everton, the Senegal international is now 33 years old with a contract that will expire in the summer of 2024 which leaves the club in a position where they will need to find a successor for their high-performing player and Luis could be the dream heir.

In comparison, 20 Liga Portugal appearances, Luis has registered three assists and tallied up a 90% pass completion rate, while successfully completing 71% of his dribble attempts, proving they are similar players as far as their composure and ball carrying are concerned.

A dominant midfielder, the 23-year-old has also made 1.9 interceptions, 2.5 tackles and won 4.3 duels per game.

When ranking Luis amongst his positional peers in the Men's next best eight competitions, the talented enforcer ranks in the top 15% for assists, pass completion, progressive passes, tackles, interceptions and aerial duels won, proving that he is both potent in attack and defensively sound.

As a result, it's hardly a surprise that the Portuguese ace has been the recipient of high praise with his former youth coach Joao Tralhao hailing the youngster while even comparing him to Casemiro:

"[He has] an exceptional talent and physical qualities totally in line with his footballing qualities", Tralhao told Bernabeu Digital.

"[He] has a very similar profile to Casemiro.

"From very early on, we realised that Florentino was on his way to becoming an elite player."

With that being said, the signing of Luis would be a great piece of business for Everton this summer and could provide Sean Dyche with the perfect player to ultimately replace Gueye when his time comes to an end at Goodison Park.