Everton made a late move to sign Aston Villa centre-forward Tammy Abraham on the final day of the transfer window, according to BBC journalist Sami Mokbel.
A deal between the two clubs was reportedly agreed upon, but Abraham himself turned down the opportunity to join the Toffees.
The 6ft 4in striker instead chose to remain at Villa Park, ending Everton’s hopes of adding a senior centre-forward to their squad before the window closed.
Abraham had previously come close to joining Ipswich Town on loan earlier in the window, but Aston Villa opted to retain him following Ollie Watkins’ move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
Signing a centre-forward had been a clear priority for Everton throughout the summer, with the club working across multiple positions to strengthen their overall squad depth.
In midfield, the club made significant additions with Hayden Hackney, Christian Nørgaard, and the permanent signing of Merlin Röhl all arriving or being confirmed during the window.
Defensively, expectations had been high that Everton would strengthen at fullback, though ultimately only Ainsley Maitland-Niles arrived in that area on deadline day.
In attack, the club triggered the buy option clause for Tyrique George and completed an exchange deal that saw Brennan Johnson arrive with Dwight McNeil heading in the opposite direction.
With Abraham, who would have cost considerably less than his £15m Transfermarkt valuation, now opting to stay at Villa Park, manager David Moyes is left with limited options at centre-forward.
Barry is now the only natural striker available to Moyes heading into the new period of fixtures, with the Frenchman having netted four goals across all competitions already this season, including a hat-trick in the EFL Cup against Preston.
Abraham will now remain at Villa and compete for minutes against the likes of Nicolas Jackson and rising star Brian Madjo, as he seeks to cement himself in the first-team picture.
Everton’s failure to land a striker leaves a notable gap in the squad, and Moyes will be hoping Barry’s early-season form continues to hold as the campaign progresses.