Everton set sights on signing Arsenal product who’s Jamal Musiala’s close friend
Everton will have to shell out a “big, big fee” in order to sign in-form striker Mika Biereth from Monaco, sources have told Football Insider.
Biereth has scored 26 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions this season in spells at both Sturm Graz and Monaco; the latter paying £11million to sign him from the Austrian side in January.
Everton are set to be in the market for a striker this summer with David Moyes a fan of Evan Ferguson from Brighton, but Biereth has been mooted as a more prolific alternative after his form for Monaco.
The Denmark international was born in London, came through the ranks at Fulham and Arsenal, and was loaned to RKC Waalwijk, Motherwell and Sturm Graz, before Arsenal sold him to the latter permanently.
Biereth has developed across his spells in the Netherlands, Scotland, Austria and France, and a return to England is on the cards for a player who forged a friendship with Germany star Jamal Musiala while the Bayern Munich playmaker played opposite him in Chelsea’s academy [The Guardian].
Mika Biereth transfer a long shot for Everton
Football Insider revealed on 21 April that Moyes wants to sign Ferguson at the conclusion of his loan at West Ham and attempt to turn his career around, yet Biereth represents a much more attractive option.
The Dane has scored 12 goals in 13 domestic appearances for Monaco and is under contract until 2029, and as a result, sources have told Football Insider that the Ligue 1 side have no plans to let Biereth leave.
Biereth only arrived at Stade Louis II in January, and Football Insider sources have said Monaco don’t expect to lose him unless they receive a “big, big fee” which dwarfs the £11m paid three months ago.
Everton are far from the only European side keen on the 22-year-old as the transfer window approaches, and while Biereth knows the Premier League well, he’s unlikely to make a return to England this summer.
Everton hatch striker plans ahead of Calvert-Lewin exit
Moyes may have led a significant turnaround in Everton’s form since his re-appointment at Goodison Park in January, but is under no illusions that he’ll need to add reinforcements up front this summer.
Beto can’t carry the can alone for the Blues with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s contract set to expire, although former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Football Insider that clubs like Newcastle should avoid the perenially-injured striker despite his free-agent status.
Liam Delap is seen as the pinnacle of strikers who look set to be available this summer and Everton are in the mix to sign him, but it remains to be seen if the Toffees’ newfound wealth could enable them to make a move for Biereth instead.