Everton target 22-goal striker but £20m price tag expected to come at a cost for Sean Dyche
Everton are reportedly among the clubs interested in signing Coventry City hitman Viktor Gyokeres, although any potential deal is set to come at a cost for Toffees boss Sean Dyche.
Signing a new striker has become a major priority for Dyche this summer after the Merseyside outfit only managed a paltry 34 goals in 38 Premier League games as they only avoided relegation by two points in a disastrous campaign.
Former target Arnaut Danjuma is being tipped for a return to England, having snubbed a loan switch to Everton in January in favour of joining Tottenham instead.
The Netherlands star is currently being priced out of a permanent move, with Villarreal wanting £25million, which is almost certain to lead to another loan – and the Toffees are at the front of the queue for his signature.
However, a fresh report emerged on Saturday evening claiming Dyche has stepped up his interest in Sky Blues forward Gyokeres.
Football Insider reports that Coventry will demand a fee of £20m, despite the fact that the Sweden international will be out of contract next summer.
The 25-year-old is currently a striker in demand, with Wolves, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Burnley all keen on his services
Gyokeres came close to firing Coventry back into the Premier League last season after his 22 goals and 12 assists in 50 games led them to the Championship play-off final.
The former Brighton attacker has netted a total of 41 goals in 121 games for Mark Robins’ men, adding a further 17 assists. He is also a senior Sweden international, notching three times in 13 caps for his country.
Everton forced into sales first
His form in the Championship has made Gyokeres one of the most sought-after talents in the country. However, if Everton are to beat their rivals to the forward they will need to offload players first.
The FI report adds that Dyche will need to ‘wheel and deal’ to make any deal possible.
Everton are currently vulnerable to offers for the likes of Jordan Pickford, Amadou Onana and Demarai Gray, with the latter a target for Saudi clubs.
Strikers Neal Maupay and Ellis Simms are expected to be sold to create funds after managing only two Premier League goals between them last term.
However, the duo will not fetch anything like the figure Everton need to complete a deal for Gyokeres, which could end up meaning one of Dyche’s top men also needs to be sold.
