Everton are in talks about signing Bournemouth’s goalkeeper Mark Travers this summer as backup to Jordan Pickford, according to the Daily Mail.
The 26-year-old rose through the ranks of Bournemouth’s academy before embarking on several loan spells—the most notable being his impressive stint in the Championship with Stoke City.
He started last season as Andoni Iraola’s first-choice goalkeeper but eventually lost his place to the newly signed Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
He spent the second half of the season on loan at Middlesbrough to gain more playing time. It appears another departure could be on the cards for the Irishman this summer.
According to the Daily Mail, Everton are ‘interested’ in signing Travers as a potential backup to first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Head coach David Moyes is looking to bolster his goalkeeping ranks following the departures of Asmir Begovic and Joao Virginia, and Travers has now been earmarked as a potential candidate to reinforce the position, as per the report.
Daily Mail adds that although an agreement has not been reached, the Toffees are in talks with Bournemouth to sign the 6ft 2in Irish shotstopper, with Chelsea’s Djordje Petrovic being eyed as his replacement.
Backup
Pickford has been an indispensable figure at the first team since arriving at the club from the relegated Sunderland in the summer of 2017.
They’ve barely ever been a team where he has faced challenges or been dropped except for injuries, and that has been the case over the last eight seasons.
During the previous season, neither the seasoned Asmir Begovic nor the Portuguese academy graduate Joao Virginia were able to establish themselves as the starting goalkeeper, with the exception of cup competitions.
The same could be the case with the potential addition of Travers, who has gained significant experience in the top flight.
While the Republic of Ireland international would be seen as a backup, he has proven to be reliable whenever called upon, as evidenced in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa and 2-1 win over Manchester City last season, where he made a series of point-saving, match-winning saves to secure points for his team.
Should talks progress between Everton and Bournemouth, the Toffees will be getting an experienced and reliable backup option for a relatively low fee, likely to be around his £3m Transfermarkt valuation.
