Everton move for first January transfer with £33m striker bid lined up in order to bolster the Attacking strength
Everton could make their first January transfer move already after they made a £3million offer to sign Michy Batshuayi from Fenerbahce, according to Levent Umit Erol.
The Turkish journalist reported via his Twitter account that Everton are insisting on the deal going through and are knocking on the door with the bid ready.
Batshuayi moved to Fenerbahce from Chelsea in 2022 after a series of loan moves, and the Toffees are now keen on bringing the Belgian back to England in January.
The last time Batshuayi played in England was a loan deal with Crystal Palace. Having initially joined in the January of 2019 where he scored five goals in 11 Premier League games, he returned for a full season in South London and was less successful with just two goals in 18 games.
Since then, a loan move with Besiktas saw him bag 14 goals in 33 games, and he has scored 15 in 28 since his permanent move to Fenerbahce, proving his goalscoring touch is still as keen as ever.
With the faltering form of both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto, Everton could make the decision to bring in a new striker in January to provide a more consistent source of goals to their front line, with the current options having just four Premier League goals between them so far.
If Batshuayi can replicate the form he showed in his first spell with Crystal Palace, he will be a good signing. His eye for goal and clinical finishing can be crucial, but his second spell in South London was a display of how he can struggle in a team that primarily needs a target forward – and that could worry Everton.
The online news outlet reported [3 January] that Everton have joined a long queue of British clubs interested in Shankland, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions so far this season.
It is understood that Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Southampton, Hull City and Middlesbrough are all keeping tabs on the 28-year-old, with Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers also an admirer of the striker.
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The Toffees could be on the search for a new goalscorer, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin only netting four goals so far this season and Beto only three since signing for Everton in the summer.
A worrying statistic
The fact that Abdoulaye Doucoure is Everton’s leading goalscorer this season with just six goals will be a worry for Sean Dyche.
With a brilliant run of four victories against Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Burnley, carrying the weight of their new 10-point deduction, the Toffees looked to have already escaped the risk of relegation.
However, with three consecutive losses to Tottenham, Manchester City and Wolves, and Luton Town winning two games on the bounce, safety is not guaranteed once again.
