Everton have £70m plus players bid for Zaha rejected as they close in on Sidibe

Everton have seen a £70 million ($85m) bid, plus the inclusion of Cenk Tosun and James McCarthy, for Wilfried Zaha rejected by Crystal Palace.

The Toffees have emerged as the front-runners to land the Ivory Coast international, with Arsenal having effectively ended their interest following the club-record signing of Nicolas Pepe from Lille.

Zaha had been keen on joining the Gunners, the team he supported as a child, although the money is not available to fund a move for the player, with Palace having been demanding £80m ($97m).

That could see Everton nip in before the transfer window closes at 5pm BST (12pm ET) on Thursday, August 8, although sources have told Goal that the Merseysiders’ hopes of landing the winger are fading as the clock ticks on.

Despite Palace’s reluctance to entertain the inclusion of players in any deal for Zaha at this stage, Roy Hodgson’s side have agreed a separate £8m ($10m) deal to take McCarthy to Selhurst Park.

The Republic of Ireland international is due to undergo a medical on Wednesday and will sign a three-year contract with the London club.

While it’s proving a struggle to agree a deal to bring in Zaha, Everton are closer to securing the signing of Monaco right-back Djibril Sidibe.

The 27-year-old, who won the Ligue 1 title with the club in 2017, is due to arrive in a loan deal as Marco Silva adds to his options in that area of the pitch.

The Toffees boss does, however, still want to improve his forward line before the transfer window closes, while a new centre-back is also on the wishlist.

Indeed, the Blues will not be able to rely on the services of Kurt Zouma after his loan spell from Chelsea ended, while Phil Jagielka left on a free transfer to leave Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate as the only recognised first-team central defenders.

The addition of an attacking player is also seen as important, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin yet to have established himself as the club’s No.1 striker and Richarlison’s best position being in support of the front man.

Turkey international Tosun is up for sale, while Moise Kean, who has been brought in from Juventus, could well start the season as the Toffees’ main striker although he may need time to adapt to the Premier League.

Everton get their league campaign underway on August 10 as, somewhat coincidentally, they face Hodgson’s Palace at Selhurst Park.