Everton scouts were present at an under-21 fixture last night and they may have had an eye on a very talented striker ahead of the January transfer window.
Thierno Barry and Beto have been labelled not good enough by Tim Sherwood, and he reckons they are holding Everton back.
David Moyes clearly feels a similar way, as the Toffees are exploring a deal to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United this winter.
Midtjylland centre-forward Franculino Dju is also on Moyes’ radar, although he’s valued at around £40m, which is probably too costly.
Now, a report has suggested that Everton scouts may have been watching a Sunderland striker last night.
Sunderland striker Eliezer Mayenda.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Everton scouts watched Sunderland strikers Brian Brobbey and Eliezer Mayenda last night
According to the Sunderland Echo, Moyes had his scouts in attendance at Sunderland’s under-21 clash against Anderlecht on Wednesday evening.
The young Black Cats had some high-profile first-teamers in action, most notably Brian Brobbey and Eliezer Mayenda.
Toffees scouts watched Brobbey score a neat right-footed finish into the bottom corner, whilst Mayenda operated as a wide player.
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Considering Brobbey only joined in the summer transfer window, it’s unlikely that he will depart in January.
Mayenda, on the other hand, has been reduced to a bit-part role in recent weeks, so perhaps Moyes and his chiefs see an opportunity to land the talented 20-year-old in January.
The Sunderland forward scored 10 goals in the promotion campaign last term, including the winner in the play-off final win against Sheffield United at Wembley.
Everton could have also been looking at Samuel Ntanda
Everton scouts will no doubt have been keeping an eye on Anderlecht players, too, and Samuel Ntanda could be one who caught the eye.
Ntanda, who has first-team experience with Sampdoria, opened the scoring to continue his productive run of form.
The 20-year-old now has four goal involvements in nine games for the reserve team following his £600,000 move from Serie B in the summer.
Indeed, it’s unlikely Ntanda would be viewed as a first-team signing for Everton, but rather another recruit for the under-21s.
The Friedkin Group have been pumping money into the academy since taking over from Farhad Moshiri last December.