According to a report in The Times, Everton manager Marco Silva has returned to former club Watford in a bid to sign winger Richarlison, and the Toffees' Premier League rivals Southampton should be watching developments closely.

What's the word, then?

Richarlison celebrates scoring for Watford

Well, The Times says that the former Hornets boss is keen to bring the Brazilian to Goodison Park having signed him this time last year, with the 21-year-old shining under the Portuguese chief before he eventually left the club in January.

Richarlison scored five goals and provided a further four assists in the early stages of the 2017/18 campaign, but he failed to register a single goal or assist following the departure of the man that brought him to Vicarage Road.

Should Everton sign the attacker, he would be competing with the likes of Yannick Bolasie and Ademola Lookman for a spot in the starting XI, as things stand.

Why should Southampton be monitoring the situation?

Well, Saints have already provided a much-needed boost to their attack with the additions of Stuart Armstrong and Mohamed Elyounoussi this summer – something that was required after they only scored 37 goals in their 38 Premier League matches last term as they only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship.

However, with Sofiane Boufal potentially leaving and Dusan Tadic already going, there could be another room for a new player to transform their attack – especially in wide areas.

Lookman could be the ideal signing for the south coast outfit, who must be willing to pay a club-record fee to land an out-of-favour Premier League striker, having fallen out of favour at Goodison Park in recent times – he spent the second-half of last term on loan at German side RB Leipzig.

The 20-year-old is direct and quick, and he has shown that he has big ability in the final third and at scaring opposition defenders, and if Everton sign Richarlison he could be available for a decent fee – Bild report they want €20m (£17.8m) for the England U21 international.

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