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Marco Silva has vowed Everton will “attack” the transfer market – but insists the Blues only need to sign a handful of new players.

The Blues boss has already agreed on a number of targets with director of football Marcel Brands yet is keen to reduce the size of the squad before the start of pre-season.

Silva and Brands remained tight-lipped when asked about the possibility of signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, Richarlison of Watford and exciting PSV Eindhoven winger Hirving Lozano this summer – players heavily linked with Goodison – but both confirmed the current numbers must be significantly reduced first.

Everton's players return to Finch Farm on Monday, July 2 for fitness tests before they head off for a training camp in Austria later in the month.

And Silva wants to have started the squad trimming by then with Wayne Rooney set to be the first big name departure as he closes in on a move to DC United in Major League Soccer.

“We have some targets, we have some positions and some I think it is easy for you to understand,” Silva told the ECHO.

“We have a base here and for sure we will keep analysing. We have 38 players in our squad at this moment, we have to take the right decisions but what me and Marcel will try to do is start the pre-season with a normal number of players, working for what we want, for the first Premier League match.

“But, of course, we have some positions we will start to look at. But we need to look at our players and then we will attack the market but the first thing we will look inside, we have some things to analyse and then we will attack the market.

“I don't want, and the club doesn't need, to sign a big number of players. It's not what we need to do, we need to sort out the number of players first and then be assertive and attack the market, take the right decisions and sign the right players for us to come here to improve our squad.”

(Image: Andrew Teebay)

Silva and Brands first spoke three weeks ago and have been in regular contact during the process to appoint the Portuguese coach as Sam Allardyce's successor.

And the new power couple at Everton had a meeting this morning to discuss transfer plans.

“We have agreed on most of the things,” Silva said.

“We had a small meeting this morning before our press conference but, of course, some things are clear for us and now is the moment to start to work and in the market to start to talk with the agents. This is Marcel's job, this is not my job, I will pass to him all my conclusions and decisions as well.”

Everton spent a club record amount of transfers last summer, bringing in nine new first-team players for around £150m.

But Silva and Brands are determined to use slash the Blues' wage bill this season and add only a clutch of new faces to the ranks.