Sources: Everton set sights on double forward deal as talks open
Everton are in the market for two forward signings this month, sources have told Football Insider.
The Merseysiders are prioritising the capture of attackers who can slot straight into Frank Lampard’s struggling side.
Everton’s recruitment team have let it be known to agents they want a target man to provide cover and competition for injury-plagued Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The relegation-threatened club also want a more versatile forward with the pace and mobility to stretch defences and provide cutting edge on the counter-attack.
Talks have opened with potential targets capable of going straight into the Everton starting XI.
Creating and scoring goals has been a major problem for Lampard’s team this season, with their 18 Premier League matches yielding just 14 goals.
Calvert-Lewin and Neal Maupay were Lampard’s only senior strikers until Ellis Simms was recalled from his loan at Sunderland on New Year’s Eve.
This came after the club confirmed on 16 December that Salomon Rondon’s deal – which was due to expire in the summer – had been terminated prematurely.
Calvert-Lewin has only managed six Premier League starts this season with his eight total appearances in the competition yielding just one goal.
Summer signing Maupay has also struggled in front of goal, scoring once in 13 Premier League outings this term, though only seven of those appearances have been from the start.
Lampard’s side dropped into the relegation zone following the latest round of Premier League fixtures, in which they lost 4-1 to Brighton (3 January).
The Toffees are next in action against Southampton on Saturday (14 January).
In other news, pundit on established 51-year-old potentially becoming new Everton manager – “he’s the guy for the job”.