A lot of talk regarding Everton's summer transfer window centred around the futures of two players in particular, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The pair have been their side's biggest goal threats for some time now, with both finding the back of the net in *that* match against Crystal Palace to cement the Blues' Premier League status. But, the feeling among many pundits was that the pair might be looking for a new challenge heading into the 2022/23 season.
Both will have ambitions of playing big roles in the World Cup for their respective countries, and they will undoubtedly be on the hunt for trophies and success at a club level as well. That's the ambition that comes with players of these talents, and everyone at Everton will have been acutely aware of that for some time.
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But, at the time of writing, both are still at Everton - granted with this still being an early stage of the transfer window. In fact, there's not really been much word of concrete interest in the pair, when at one stage it seemed many teams would be chomping at the bit to begin their pursuit.
Richarlison has been the player with more rumours surrounding his future, especially given the fact he has already admitted to telling the Everton hierarchy of his desire this summer. Spurs have been linked with a potential move, but the rumoured fee they would be willing to pay is surely way off what the Blues would be willing to accept. He is reportedly Tottenham's top target according to The Athletic, but the price discrepancy would be an important point to resolve.
Across north London, however, there have been more rumours surrounding Arsenal in the past - and their apparent interest in either of the Brazilian or Calvert-Lewin. That now seems to be off the table.
Again, according to The Athletic, the Gunners have agreed a deal in principle to bring Gabriel Jesus to the Emirates Stadium from Man City. They've been looking for more goals at the top end of the pitch, and it seems they have settled on the 25-year-old rather than looking towards Everton's pair. A subsequent report also suggested that Mikel Arteta's side were continuing to pursue a move for Leeds United forward Raphina.
So there's a question that will undoubtedly now crop up. Who would be willing to pay the right price to bring in either Richarlison or Calvert-Lewin to their clubs this summer? The list is potentially getting smaller as the days go on.
Newcastle have been linked with Everton's England international striker in some reports, but that was always bound to be the case given the huge influx of money they have recently received. As of yet, it's a little tough to judge which direction the Magpies will eventually go as The Chronicle's Lee Ryder recently reported that the club are set to hold talks with Reims striker Hugo Ekitike.
Richarlison, meanwhile, has recently been linked with another London club in Chelsea as an agreement to see Romelu Lukaku return to Inter Milan on loan has been reported by many. Whether the Stamford Bridge side would be willing to stump up the necessary cash for Richarlison, however, is also yet to be seen in that scenario - and a report in the Telegraph on Saturday claimed they were in fact closing in on a swoop for Raheem Sterling.
Looking further afield there hasn't been the same rumours of PSG and Real Madrid that have been mooted in the past, even with Carlo Ancelotti in place as manager of the latter. He's got great experiences with both of Everton's forwards, but it's yet to be seen where the La Liga giants might turn their attentions after missing out on Kylian Mbappe.
This usually only points at a potentially protracted transfer saga, but that's something the Blues can't afford. If they are to lose one of their most influential players, they will need as much time as possible to identify replacements and secure them for a reasonable amount.
In the same breath, they can't be seen to be budging on their asking price for either player. They might be in a tricky financial situation, but that doesn't mean they should be opening themselves up to losing star players on the cheap - even if it would be beneficial to have at least one sale on the books ahead of the financial year coming to an end on June 30th.
As much as time is of the essence, recent weeks haven't suggested that any move is exactly imminent for either Richarlison or Calvert-Lewin. The former is maybe closer to a potential move at this stage, but that's only from initial reports at the time of writing. There's been talk, but not really much else of note - and we all know how long a big transfer can often take.
That's not exactly ideal for either player or club, but in many respects its out of either party's hands. Until the right bid comes in, then there's unlikely to be much activity.
How much of an affect that might potentially have on the rest of the transfer window in terms of incomings is yet to be seen. However, you can't help but notice the business from other sides in the division with a certain level of intrigue - wondering just how things are all going to fall into place.
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