One of Everton’s biggest focuses ahead of the summer transfer window appears to be on finding a new right-back.

Carlo Ancelotti has seemingly identified that as an area which the Toffees need to bolster heading into next season.

What’s the word?

Everton have been linked with the likes of Tariq Lamptey and Max Aarons in recent months but another full-back has now emerged on their radar.

According to The Daily Mail, Atletico Madrid have offered the Goodison Park outfit the chance to sign Kieran Trippier this summer.

It’s unknown whether Everton will be willing to take up their offer or how much he’ll cost.

However, with just a year left on his current contract in Spain, it may be short of the £20m that Atletico paid back in 2019.

The Toffees will now need to weigh up the pros and cons of their respective targets.

A promising stopgap

If Everton can’t conclude a deal to sign Lamptey or Aarons, they must swoop for Trippier.

The full-back is now 30 years of age but he’s become a vital cog in the wheel of one of the most defensively organised teams on the continent.

Learning from Diego Simeone, a robust and tough-talking manager, he’s taken his game to the next level and he’d certainly be well suited to filling the boots of Seamus Coleman.

The Irishman’s contract runs out in 2022 and if he departs, it will leave not only a leadership hole but a creative one too.

Fortunately, that’s an area where Trippier shines. His delivery of the football is first-class and you only need to remember his goal-scoring free-kick in the World Cup semi-finals for a glimpse of what he can do.

However, he is one of the most creative full-backs around. From 2017-2019, he created 1.93 chances per 90 minutes. That tally put him second in the Premier League across that time frame, above the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.

Coleman has been an attacking threat for Everton for a long period of time now and during his time in Merseyside, the 32-year-old has amassed 31 assists from defence.

Trippier is very similar in that regard, creating 11 goals for his teammates at Atletico in two years.

Under Simeone, he’s also become a fighter, something that’s shone through in his performances for the national team.

After a match with Belgium last October, Gareth Southgate said: “Trippier was like a soldier out there, unbelievable defensive performance.”

Those qualities weren’t seen too much at Tottenham but he’s become a defensive general in La Liga, making more interceptions per match than he ever did in north London.

The defender might be getting on a bit now but he would still be a great addition from Marcel Brands.

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