Everton may already have been supremely active in the transfer market, but Kevin Thelwell is far from finished with his crusade.

He has already made significant progress towards his goal of giving Sean Dyche the best team possible, one that is deep and talented.

Still, there are a few points of interest that he may choose to support.

After all, the only area that appears to be lacking in fresh faces is the backline, with the addition of a striker, winger, and central midfielder.

Thankfully, it appears that a new acquisition may be imminent.

Everton set to bid for Jake O’Brien

This is according to FerveurLyonnaise, a French website that has given a comprehensive update on the Toffees’ pursuit of Lyon defender Jake O’Brien.

With his incredible achievements in Ligue 1, the former Crystal Palace player—who only relocated to France last year—has already garnered attention.

Dyche will be thrilled to add another massive goal threat to his defence in the form of a gigantic ball-playing defender with a knack for scoring goals.

And given that the report indicates the Toffees are preparing an offer for the Republic of Ireland international, he has obviously approved action on that front.

The text says: “Several UK clubs are interested in Jake O’Brien for this summer.”

In addition to Nottingham Forest and, more recently, West Ham United, Everton remains alert and appears to be in a strong position today.

As reported on Sunday night, Everton is getting ready to make OL an offer of roughly 23.65 million euros (£19 million). However, the Rhone club would have had to demand a hefty price—nearly 35.5 million euros—in order to release O’Brien.

A better price would be incredible for the Gones, who spent a million euros on the young Irish player the previous campaign. But Nottingham Forest would have also been in talks with their equivalents, particularly following the sale of Niakhaté to the Rhône, so Everton is not the only team in the game.

There’s no denying that O’Brien might be the target of a record transfer. Jake O’Brien, the season’s revelation in Lyon, had an exponential increase in value in a matter of months.

According to some rumours, Jake O’Brien genuinely wants to sign with Everton before any other suitors.

Is this smart business from Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell?

Even though O’Brien would come in with a strong resume—having grown up in the English academy system and gained invaluable senior experience in France—there is still a risk involved.

especially considering that he has only made 32 starts for Lyon’s first squad.

There is no assurance that O’Brien will arrive at Everton and prove to be as valuable as he has been for his current club, regardless of how revolutionary he has been for them.

Although Thelwell has often been extremely astute when it comes to business, this could be the riskiest move of his career at Goodison Park.

So far, he might avoid it if his next bid is turned down.