Everton are still working on returning a cult hero to Goodison Park…

What’s the word?

According to journalist Paul Brown, Idrissa Gana Gueye is still close to signing for the Toffees.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he claimed: “Everton are ready to pull the trigger on that. They have a deal agreed with the player. The problem is whether he can negotiate the sort of exit he wants from PSG.

“That’s been a problem so far and I don’t think anyone knows whether PSG will ultimately agree to let him go under the terms that he’d like to. I think it’s a waiting game there essentially.”

He has just one year left on his £97k-per-week contract and has seemingly been ruled out of Christophe Galtier’s plans for the coming season. 

He’s the final piece of the puzzle

With Amadou Onana already secured at Goodison Park, it seems that Frank Lampard is not content with just one tough-tackling and relentless midfielder.

He, therefore, is seeking a romantic return for Gueye, who captured the attention at Goodison Park for his incredible work rate, a characteristic beloved by Evertonians.

Perhaps once the 44-year-old gets the Senegal international in, he can act as the final piece of the puzzle for solving his midfield dilemma, as he looks to integrate Onana in without overworking the 21-year-old.

He now returns to the club with a wealth of added experience from his first stint at the club, having played 30 Champions League games alongside some of the best players in the world at Paris Saint-Germain.

However, the core attributes that made him such a success have not waned. He still ranks in the top 5% for pressures and the top 8% for tackles per 90 among midfield players in Europe's top five league. He is a midfield “powerhouse” in the words of football writer Tom Williams, and that's exactly what the Toffees have often lacked in recent years.

His arrival could tie the whole club together, as winning the midfield battles is often the difference between deciding a game’s result.

With Lampard insistent on playing two central midfielders, to bed Onana in by prioritising an Alex Iwobi and Gueye midfield would make perfect sense for the coming season.

That way, the Belgium international can one day take over from the 32-year-old, and if he can inherit his traits, Everton will be blessed with a midfield that can dominate against whomever they should play.

Gueye is both an instant upgrade and an investment all in one and would finish Lampard’s summer spending with the crowning jewel of a homecoming.