Everton are said to be targeting PSV Eindhoven’s director of football Marcel Brands.
Brands is highly regarded in his native Holland, having helped the Eredivisie club recoup over £200 million in transfer fees through an astute recruitment policy.
Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum and Kevin Strootman are among the players developed at Eindhoven who later left for sizeable mark-up fees.
He was also responsible for taking Louis Van Gaal to AZ Alkmaar in a move that saw him break Dutch football’s three-club hold on the Eredivisie for 28 years.
According to the Mirror, Brands is in discussions with Blues chiefs about becoming a new addition to director of football Steve Walsh’s scouting network.
The Goodison Park hierarchy are said to have identified the 55-year-old as part of their attempts to add a global dimension to the work undertaken by Walsh.
Walsh’s 18 months on Merseyside have been somewhat less than successful, with several big-money signings last summer currently failing to prove their worth.
That has led some fans to question the former Leicester City assistant’s work despite an impressive track record with the one-time Premier League champions.
He is credited with identifying the likes of Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy, all of whom became pivotal figures in the Foxes’ unlikely title win in 2016.