By Wayne Veysey

7th Oct, 2019 | 4:00pm

Exclusive: Everton plot move to sign £40m-valued goal machine

Everton are plotting a move for Lyon striker Moussa Dembele, Football Insider understands.

They view the 23-year-old as a potential solution to the goalscoring problem that has left them marooned in the bottom three going into the international break.

An Everton source has told Football Insider that the club are compiling a scouting dossier on Dembele ahead of the January window.

They have dispatched staff to watch him in action this season and will be encouraged by his omission from the starting XI for their 1-0 defeat to St Etienne yesterday.

Dembele has banged in six goals from just eight league games this campaign, just one behind Ligue 1’s current top scorer Victor Osimhen.

He has been prolific for Lyon since his £19million transfer from Celtic in the summer of 2018.

Dembele netted 20 goals in his debut campaign and his tally of 26 from 55 matches for the Champions League outfit has fully justified his return to his native France.

Lyon value Dembele at double the price they paid for him and, with a contract that runs until 2023, would be confident of securing £40million from clubs that come calling.

Everton have struggled for goals all campaign, despite the £25million-plus outlays on centre-forward Moise Kean and winger Alex Iwobi in the summer window.

Marco Silva’s side have scored just six goals in eight league matches and their weekend defeat to Burnley has left them 18th in the table.

In other Everton news, it can be REVEALED that the club are ready to sell a player at a £17million loss in January.