"?Everton are planning an audacious swoop for Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, offering the Dutchman a £6m-a-year contract, according to a report in the "?Daily Mirror.
The Saints want to pin Koeman down to a new two-year deal worth £5m, but they might be trumped by Everton's offer, which would make the 53-year-old the fourth highest paid Premier League manager behind Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger.
The former Ajax manager has become hot property in the Premier League after guiding Southampton to a 6th place finish, just three points away from Manchester City in 4th.
And with Everton's new financial backer Farhad Moshiri set to splash the cash this summer, Koeman could be tempted to move to Goodison Park as a result of the financial lure.
3) Everton willing to DOUBLE what Southampton propose upping Koeman's wages to #EFChttps://t.co/pk8kwSA3U1 pic.twitter.com/8Z2VwHuUfl
Koeman is just one of nine potential managerial candidates for the Toffees, with former manager David Moyes and fellow Dutchman Frank De Boer emerging as stand-out candidates to replace Spaniard Roberto Martinez, who was sacked at the start of May.
De Boer stepped down as Ajax's manager the day of Martinez' sacking, prompting the bookies to make the 46-year-old a clear favourite to become the new Everton manager.
If De Boer is to become Everton's new manager he may face a tough time holding on to star players Romelu Lukaku and John Stones, both of whom have been the subject to transfer interest from the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.