According to Sport Mania, Everton are believed to be in 'appreciation' of Toulouse powerhouse Ibrahim Sangare, while the title of the report states that he is 'expected' at Goodison Park for next season.

The Ivory Coast international was compared to Yaya Toure and Michael Essien in 2016 by African journalist Alpha Balde, while Marseille are also said to be keen on the midfielder according to the above report.

Who is he?

The 22-year-old is a truly towering midfield presence, who has been compared to the likes of Toure and Essien for a reason - SPORT revealed that Barcelona have been monitoring the youngster for a long time, so he must have something about him.

Former Toulouse manager Alain Casanova also spoke glowingly of Sangare, likening him to other high-level players he has coached such as Adrien Rabiot, Moussa Sissoko and Etienne Capoue - Casanova also said that the Ivorian is one of the greatest players he ever had at Toulouse.

Everton could finally replace Idrissa Gueye

One characteristic of Sangare's which stands out is his tackling ability.

In Ligue 1 so far this term, the Toulouse No.17 has averaged 3.3 tackles per game, while also making 1.5 interceptions and two clearances per 90 minutes in France's top-flight.

Interestingly, his 3.3 tackles are the exact same as former Everton star Idrissa Gueye has managed in Ligue 1 this term, while the Senegal international has also averaged 1.6 interceptions per game - just 0.1 more than Sangare has registered, so the similarities are definitely there.

Additionally, there is an eight-year age gap between the two players - Gueye, now at reigning French champions Paris Saint-Germain, is 30 years of age.

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As a result, if Carlo Ancelotti could bring Sangare to Goodison Park, they wouldn't just have a ready-made replacement for their Players' Player of the Season from the 2018/19 campaign - they would have a man who has plenty of time on his side to actually become better than Gueye ever was.

In other news, Carlo Ancelotti finally has an excuse to drop Gylfi Sigurdsson...