Everton would have to pay around £40million to sign centre-back Alfie Mawson from Premier League rivals Swansea City in the summer transfer window.

With Everton crying out for a young, commanding centre-half this summer, the supporters hardly hid their desire to see Alfie Mawson at Goodison Park after he put in a superb performance in a 1-0 win against bitter rivals Liverpool in January.

It was Mawson who scored the only goal of the game as Swansea City picked up a shock winter win at the Liberty Stadium. However, while his close-range strike put the Swans ahead, it was his excellent defensive performance in the second half that convinced Everton fans that he is the answer to their leaky back line.

So with the Mirror claiming on Sunday that Everton have now joined the race to sign Mawson with Swansea’s relegation from the Premier League confirmed, majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is attempting to secure a deal that would be greeted very positively around Goodison Park.

West Ham, Leicester, Watford and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with the 24-year-old former Barnsley man, who the Times claim is valued at around £40 million.

And while that fee looks very steep even in today’s market, Everton are in desperate need of defensive additions with Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams the wrong side of 30, never mind mentioning the dreadful debut campaign suffered by Michael Keane on Merseyside.

Mawson may be overpriced and unproven at the top level for a prolonged spell, but he is a player Everton fans have wanted for months now.

In other news, Report: Newcastle can bag 14-goal star – but only if Bruce sells 2019 signing first