Everton have agreed a deal to sign Tyrique George from Chelsea.The west London club will receive an initial fee of £18million ($24m), with £6m due in potential add-ons.The Athletic reported on Monday that Everton were progressing in talks to sign George on a permanent deal. The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Everton, in a deal which included a £25m option to make the move permanent.That option was not taken up by Everton, who will pay less up front than that agreement with add-ons taking the potential total closer to the fee Chelsea originally wanted.England Under-21 international George primarily appeared on the left of Everton’s attack in the wake of Jack Grealish’s season-ending injury in January. He made 11 appearances, mostly as a substitute, having featured four times for Chelsea earlier in the campaign.George, who came through Chelsea’s academy, has represented England in several youth teams and has scored two goals in six appearances for the under-21 side. He registered six goals and six assists in 37 appearances for Chelsea’s first team.The Athletic reported in April that Everton are keen for Grealish to return to the club this summer, having returned to Manchester City. He recorded two goals and six assists in 22 appearances before the foot injury, which required surgery, curtailed his season.George a fine talent who struggled for first-team minutesAnalysis by Chelsea correspondent Simon JohnsonThis looks like great news for George, who found first-team minutes hard to come by before joining Everton on loan at the end of the January transfer window.The England youth international is another fine talent to come through the youth ranks at Chelsea. He has made 37 senior appearances for the club, but has started only one Premier League game.George is a graduate of Chelsea’s academy (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)Chelsea have a number of options to play out wide as things stand in Estevao, Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, and new arrival Geovany Quenda. For George to fulfil his full potential, he needs a permanent move elsewhere to get more regular game time.As with other academy graduates that have been sold by Chelsea, any fee will count as straight profit on the books, which is obviously a plus.Some fans will question whether Chelsea would have been better off giving George a chance to develop rather than buying Garnacho or Gittens, who struggled to make an impression last season.Does signing George make sense for Everton?Analysis by Everton correspondent Patrick BoylandThis will be seen as a positive step by most Everton fans, who have been keen for early business after a disappointing end to last season.Despite his lack of starts and goal involvements, George impressed in his cameos, bringing pace and goal threat to the Everton attack. Had it not been for poor finishing, he would have ended the season with a handful assists, while it took a top save from Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to deny the youngster a spectacular leveller in the final game of the campaign.George may not have forced his way into the Everton side, but he did leave a positive impression on manager David Moyes. In his press conferences, the Scot spoke about the different qualities — the speed and direct play — the Englishman brought to the table. None of the squad’s other wings are able to stretch play like George.For Everton, a renegotiated deal, at a lower up-front fee, is probably a better reflection of where the youngster is at in his career right now. Performance-based bonuses included in the deal could also allow Chelsea to recoup close to the initial £25m option agreed when he joined on loan in February.There is a belief at Everton that George can be an exciting option for the future. There are areas of his game to improve, particularly his defensive play and his decision making, but he can bring a different dimension to the forward line as he develops.Everton are likely to look at further wing additions too, with the futures of Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil uncertain. They are open to a deal for Grealish, but it would need to be on the right terms.With a deal for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney having been completed, their summer business is ramping up.Jul 4, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms