Everton have pinpointed Marco Silva as their preferred choice to become their new manager, with the Portuguese boss set to be confirmed in the coming days despite Watford's complaint to the Premier League about the Toffees approach for their former manager last year.
Silva will replace Sam Allardyce, who took over at Goodison Park in November 2017 and was tasked with steering Everton away from the threat of relegation.
Allardyce guided Everton to an eighth place finish and narrowly missed out on a Europa League qualification place. However, he received a fair share of criticism from the fans for his underwhelming and unambitious tactics and was dismissed by the club following the season's end.
Now, Everton have wasted no time in moving to appoint Allardyce's successor, with former Watford and Hull City boss Silva the preferred target.
Silva had been coveted by the Merseyside club whilst he was in charge at Vicarage Road after Ronald Koeman was sacked in October 2017 - with Watford's form drastically deteriorating in sync with Everton's all-too public interest.
Watford blamed their poor run of form on Silva's loss of focus, claiming he was being distracted by interest from elsewhere and later filed a complaint to the Premier League.
A report from Goal claims Everton don't believe Watford will be a threat to a possible deal materialising, with the Portuguese manager is set to return to management for the first time since his dismissal by the Hornets.
This comes despite earlier reports that the two Premier League are locked in a legal battle over Everton's conduct in approaching Silva, while he was still under contract at Watford last year.
Portuguese source O Jogo meanwhile claims Everton and Silva are currently in negotiations, as they discuss contract terms.
After a disappointing 2017/18 campaign, Everton fans will be hoping for an improvement in their performances next season as they look to compete amongst the top clubs in England once again.
- 90Min