Key factor could prevent Everton from sealing Southampton transfer agreement: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Everton hold a "strong interest" in Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy ahead of the January transfer window, according to Football Insider.

The Toffees are currently in need of a new goalkeeper with quality lacking in this department.

Jordan Pickford's presence is a real boost for him because he's solid at club and international level - and is clearly someone who belongs in the Premier League.

But he doesn't have a huge amount of competition for a starting spot at the moment, with Joao Virginia only having a very limited amount of experience under his belt.

One of his loan spells came at Reading - and he made several mistakes during his time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium - which led to him being replaced by Rafael during the same window they recruited Virginia.

At 24, he should only get better and he will have more room to grow than the recently released Asmir Begovic, but many of the Toffees' supporters will be nervous if Pickford sustains an injury.

This is why it's no surprise that they are seemingly looking to strengthen this department when 2024 comes around.

Could Everton sign Alex McCarthy?

There are plenty of factors working in their favour.

Firstly, McCarthy is 33 now and that's one reason why it shouldn't take a huge amount to recruit him.

With the club being deducted 10 points recently for a breach of Financial Fair Play rules, they need some cheap additions and McCarthy could be one of those.

As well as this, he isn't the Saints' number one stopper at this point with Gavin Bazunu claiming that spot, another reason why McCarthy may not cost that much.

Joe Lumley can easily step up and be Bazunu's deputy with the Championship experience he has, so Russell Martin may be willing to sanction this deal.

With these factors in mind, it wouldn't be a shock if Sean Dyche's side managed to get this deal over the line.

What key factor could prevent Everton from signing Alex McCarthy?

With Pickford currently the Toffees' number one, it would be difficult to see McCarthy winning too much game time at Goodison Park.

There's a chance he could become the Merseyside club's first-choice stopper if they are relegated and Pickford is sold, but they could easily stay up, even following their points deduction.

Even though the Saints are currently in the second tier, they could find themselves back in the top tier next term and if they don't, they may be competing for promotion again.

It's not the worst time for McCarthy to be at St Mary's - and relocating now to remain a second-choice keeper may not be that appealing to him.

This is a keeper who has spent the vast majority of his career in the south after being born there and only spent a bit of time up north during a brief loan spell at Leeds United.

His deal may expire next summer - but he could be offered reduced terms by the Saints and if he isn't offered fresh terms - he should get offers elsewhere considering the experience he has.

And at the moment, he may not want to make the move to Goodison Park, because it may be a disruption if he has a young family and children going to school.