Everton's Tyrique George deal could reach 'in excess of £40m'

Everton's deal to sign Tyrique George from Chelsea could ultimately be far more expensive than the £24million that is being widely reported.

That is according to former senior Everton scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The deal is reportedly worth an initial £18m, with £6m in potential add-ons and a 15 per cent sell-on clause.

George spent the second half of the season on loan with Everton and has signed a four-year contract after joining permanently.

The Toffees has also secured a permanent deal for Merlin Rohl, who was on loan, and Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, who has joined in a deal worth up to £23.5m.

George's arrival may well open the door to an exit for Tyler Dibling, who is facing an uncertain future at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton recruitment expert shares insight on Tyrique George deal

George represents a strong signing for Everton, who are in need of something extra in the forward line.

The youngster broke through for Chelsea last year and had already scored six goals and provided six assists in limited appearances for the senior team.

A favourite of Enzo Maresca's, the winger made his breakthrough under the Italian and became a reliable option off the bench.

Everton hope that they have exploited Chelsea's uncertain past 2026 to pull off a coup by signing George, who is expected to have a bright future.

However, the deal may not be as much of a bargain as initially reported. Speaking to Football Insider, King asked: "I think when you look at the money Chelsea have spent and the way they've spent it, they've got to be getting money back in somehow, haven't they?

"I would imagine, although this deal is supposedly £24m, I would imagine there's a few other little clauses in there somewhere along the line, which will be performance rated.

"So many first team games, maybe another £5m. If he becomes a full international, maybe another £5m, et cetera, et cetera. I would think something of that nature.

"When you look at the deal, you start looking and all of a sudden you think: 'Bloody hell, if he fulfils what everybody thinks he's going to do, this could be, this could be in excess of £40m.'"

What David Moyes has said about George

Everton will hope to see George take a step up next season to compete with Iliman Ndiaye on the left.

The Toffees are still weighing up the permanent signing of Jack Grealish from Manchester City, which could present another stumbling block.

Yet David Moyes and Everton appear to be convinced that they have secured a great signing in George.

"He's got good control, he wants to score, I like that, and you saw that today," the Scot said after a game against Brentford in April. "He wants to try and score and that was important for me because I think wide players nowadays, we're asking [a lot of] them.

"I think being a wide player now you've got to have a contribution with goals and assists. He's a young boy who will obviously continue to develop, I've got no doubt about that.”