Everton are interested in PSV Eindhoven’s director of football Marcel Brands, according to various reports.
The Blues are said to be interested in the 54-year-old recruitment boss to take charge of the ‘global dimension’ to the director of football role at Goodison Park.
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Brands is under contract with PSV until the 2020 season but would jump at the opportunity to move to the Premier League if the Blues present an offer.
Steve Walsh holds the role
That Director of Football role is currently held by Steve Walsh but the former Leicester City scout has come under fire in recent weeks following the fallout of the summer transfer window signings that have seen the Blues taken charge of by three managers during this campaign.
Walsh has drawn the ire of plenty of fans for the club being seemingly unable to sign players in positions of need during this current transfer window - with the need for a left-back becomingly glaringly obvious since Leighton Baines was sidelined in November.
However, the 53-year-old is said to hold more of a scout like position rather than an overall Director of Football role that would traditionally see him find players, negotiate transfers and then complete those deals.
He has been credited with the signings of young talents such as Ademola Lookman, Lewis Gibson and Nikola Vlasic but looks to lack the apparent imagination in signings that saw the Foxes win the Premier League title.
The reports suggest that Brands would oversee the role on a wider basis whilst Walsh would concentrate on going back to what he knows - scouting.
Who is Marcel Brands?
The 54-year-old has been with PSV since 2010, following a five-year spell with AZ Alkmaar as their Director of Football.
He has been credited with recruiting and later selling, the likes of Memphis Depay, Dries Mertens, Kevin Strootman and Georginio Wijnaldum among others - leading to a massive turnaround in fortunes for Eindhoven.
In December, Brands was said to be a target of Chelsea to replace Michael Emenalo but little transpired from those reports.