Everton are closing in on the free signing of James Tarkowski after agreeing personal terms with the Burnley defender – while the club’s owner, Farhad Moshiri, has apologised to fans for mistakes made at Goodison Park which left them threatened with relegation until the penultimate match of the season. The 29-year-old Tarkowksi is out of contract at Turf Moor at the end of the month and has been strongly linked with a move to Goodison Park since Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League. Frank Lampard, the Everton manager, is keen to strengthen in central defence after injuries to Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey denied him a settled partnership during his first few months in charge. Aston Villa and Fulham have also been linked with Tarkowski, although Steven Gerrard’s side have subsequently signed Diego Carlos from Sevilla. Tarkowski has verbally agreed personal terms with Everton and is due to undergo a medical before the deal is confirmed. On the whole it was a miserable year for their supporters, one which started with the controversial appointment of the former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez who was sacked after 200 days in charge having won just five league matches. While Moshiri did not refer by name to the Spaniard, whom the owner pushed to appoint despite dissenting voices from the board, he acknowledged there had been errors. That also extended to the transfer market, where Everton have spent more than half-a-billion pounds since Moshiri took over in 2016. “Mistakes have been made and for that I want to apologise to all of you,” the owner said in an open letter to supporters. “It has not been good enough and we need to do better. We are committed to not making the same mistakes again, including how we have not always spent significant amounts of money wisely. “You have given us incredible support that helped us over the line when we most needed it, and we must repay that support and show that lessons have been learnt. “Whilst there is no denying that it was an amazing night when we turned around a 2-0 half-time deficit to secure a sensational victory and guarantee a 69th successive season in the top tier of English football last season, it should not be allowed to disguise the fact that we have underperformed in what proved to be a very challenging campaign. You did not deserve the frustration and fear that the season brought.” Leeds have confirmed the signing of the Denmark defender Rasmus Kristensen from Red Bull Salzburg on a five-year contract. Jesse Marsch, who coached the right-back at Salzburg and is now the manager at Elland Road, described the 24-year-old as “a very good Champions League full-back” and said: “I am totally convinced that he will continue to grow into a great Premier League full-back.” Newcastle have paid £15m to buy Matt Targett after his successful loan from Aston Villa. “It was an easy decision to make,” said the left-back, who has signed a four-year contract.