Everton have now reportedly joined the race to sign Daizen Maeda in the January transfer window after the Japan international made his exit stance clear to Celtic.
The Toffees' search for a striker is beginning to become an open secret ahead of the winte window. Neither Beto nor Thierno Barry have hit the heights that those in Merseyside were expecting, with the latter yet to even score a goal this season, and they are now reportedly on the hunt for an extra reinforcement.
On that front, a number of names have already been mentioned as potential options. including Ivan Toney and Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee. There is a belief that the former will have to complete a return to Europe if he wants to earn a place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup. Whether that will see Everton make their move remains to be seen, however.
Zirkzee would also be an interesting choice. The Dutchman has lost his place at Man United ever since the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko and now needs a similar revival to the one that Jack Grealish is currently enjoying.
Whether he'd solve their goalscoring problems is another question, though. The forward is more of a false nine than an out-and-out goalscorer, which suggests that he wouldn't solve David Moyes' current issue.
The Toffees may not necessarily turn to Premier League experience in 2026 either, with Maeda now also an option.
Everton join race to sign Maeda
As reported by TeamTalk, The Friedkin Group and Everton are now racing to sign Maeda after he told Celtic that he wants to leave the club in 2026. The forward was denied a move in the summer, much to his frustration, but has now told the Bhoys that he's ready to complete an exit away from Glasgow.
Sending the Premier League on high alert, Everton, Brentford, Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United have all reportedly formed the early race to secure Maeda's signature, which is available for just £15m.
Although the versatile forward has struggled for goals so far this season - scoring just four goals in 17 games - it's worth taking Celtic's own struggles into accout and looking back to just how impressive Maeda was last season.
Celtic-Daizen-Maeda-Premiership
The 28-year-old scored 33 goals in all competitions last time out and eared justified praised from former manager Brendan Rodgers, who said: "If you are a young player coming through and want to give your honesty to the game, work, intensity and everything.
"No cheating, no nothing – even away at St Mirren, the penalty we got last week he tried to stay on his feet – he’s so honest to the game. Natural isn’t it? He’s been absolutely brilliant.”
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