Everton eye up unwanted Moses as Chelsea begin cull

With the controversial £30m deal for Brazilian midfielder Willian confirmed by Chelsea today, and a deal for Samuel Eto’o also expected to complete next week, the club’s incoming transfer activity appears to be over for this summer.

Instead, the focus will now be on shipping out a couple of unwanted faces, with their overflowing midfield department the first to be addressed.

With last season’s stand-out performers Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata still on the books, Frank Lampard primed to play an important part in his final season, Kevin De Bruyne returning from his loan spell at Werder Bremen and newcomers Willian, Andre Schurrle and Marco van Ginkel all set to make their mark, the competition for places behind a solitary frontman could not be more fierce.

It means that for Victor Moses, already restricted to only 12 starts last season, a move elsewhere beckons.

But while the Nigerian international may not figure in Mourinho’s plans this season, the former Wigan winger could prove a shrewd acquisition for many of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals.

One such team is Everton, whose 0-0 home draw against West Brom highlighted a need for greater attacking potency, and boss Roberto Martinez is expected to make a loan move imminently.

Martinez enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Moses at Wigan, signing the 22-year-old from Crystal Palace in 2010 before allowing him to leave for Stamford Bridge two and a half years later.

Chelsea will be keen to recoup some of the £9m they paid Wigan for the forward, but are prepared to accept a loan deal at such a late stage in the transfer market.

Another player seemingly set for the exit is striker Demba Ba, with Mourinho preferring to keep Romelu Lukaku at the Bridge this season, with incoming Samuel Eto’o the perfect mentor for the young Belgian.

Given his prolific goalscoring record for both West Ham and Newcastle, there will be many Premier League suitors lining up for Ba, with both of his former clubs likely to register an interest.