Everton midfielder Andre Gomes has urged the club to sign Kurt Zouma on a permanent transfer.

Zouma was on loan at Everton last season and he managed to make quite the impression.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Gomes confirmed that he wants Zouma at Goodison Park next season and he also labelled the Chelsea defender as a fantastic player.

“I can’t decide that [whether Everton will sign Zouma]. Kurt played really well last season. He’s a fantastic player,” Gomes said.

“If Everton want him I will say to buy him also! I would like him here.”

Everton certainly need to bring in another centre back and Zouma would be ideal.

It will be interesting to see if they can agree on a fee with Chelsea now. The Blues are serving a transfer ban and they might not want to weaken their squad this summer.

It might come down to the player eventually. If the 24-year-old decides to force an exit, Chelsea might be forced to listen to Everton’s offer.

Everton can offer him regular first-team football and Chelsea will have to provide similar assurances if they want to keep him. At the moment, Rudiger and Luiz are ahead of Zouma in the pecking order.

It will be interesting to see what happens. If Everton manage to sign Zouma on a permanent deal, it would be quite a coup for them.

The Frenchman is a top-class talent and he could develop into one of the best defenders in the league with time and experience.