Everton have been linked with a bid for a £30m striker currently starring at the World Cup
All of a sudden, Everton’s search for a striker in the summer transfer window may have become a little more urgent. News broke on Wednesday evening that Thierno Barry could be on his way out of the club, and his departure could leave the front line in need of a complete rebuild.
Everton head coach David Moyesplaceholder image
Everton head coach David Moyes | Getty Images
The Times’ Paul Joyce first reported that Barry had been the subject of an unexpected bid from RB Leipzig after scoring eight goals in his first (and perhaps last) Premier League season. Should Barry depart, Everton will be left with Beto as their only recognised striker.
That’s not a situation the Toffees are likely to be content with and a new report from TEAMtalk unsurprisingly suggests that they’re already building a shortlist – with a World Cup star seemingly near the top.
The World Cup player on Everton’s summer shopping list
Ayase Ueda ahead of Japan's 2-2 draw with the Netherlandsplaceholder image
Ayase Ueda ahead of Japan's 2-2 draw with the Netherlands | Getty Images
The striker in question is Japanese international Ayase Ueda, a target man who acts as the spearhead of his national side’s attack and the fulcrum around which their attack functions.
Noted for his strength and the quality of his hold-up play, Ueda is a traditional number nine who mostly matches the David Moyes mould – a player who can ward off defenders in order to create space and opportunities for the players around him. He also happens to be an increasingly prolific goalscorer.
The 27-year-old scored 26 goals in 38 games for his club side Feyenoord in the 2025/26 season, comfortably his best return in the Netherlands after relatively lean returns in his first two years with the club.
If he can maintain that form in front of goal in the Premier League then he could prove to be an extremely shrewd acquisition – not that he would be the first forward to find the gap between the Eredivisie and the English top flight to be rather wider than they’d expected.
Where Ueda differs from the prototype of the target man is his stature – at just under 6’0” he isn’t as tall most players who operate in the role, but he uses his physicality well and has a surprisingly impressive leap in him, which enables him to win over half of his aerial duels despite giving away a few inches to most opposing centre-backs. Nine of his goals in the Eredivisie came with his head.
That relative lack of height may give Everton some pause for thought as they consider their options, but he has the fundamental profile of the kind of striker that Moyes values, and has proven to have a high ceiling in terms of his productivity. But will a deal get done over the coming weeks?
Will Everton sign Ueda in the transfer window?
Ueda has scored 16 goals in 40 appearances for Japanplaceholder image
Ueda has scored 16 goals in 40 appearances for Japan | Getty Images
TEAMtalk’s report only suggests that Ueda is one player under consideration by Everton and states that they are also doing their due diligence on other targets – including West Ham’s Taty Castellanos and Chelsea’s Liam Delap, a very different kind of forward but perhaps one with greater long-term potential.
In short, it’s far from clear yet that Everton will indeed bid for Ueda, although the report suggests that the asking price is already known, and that Feyenoord will demand a fee in the region of £30m for his services. For a player of proven international quality coming off the back of an excellent run of goalscoring form, it’s not an unreasonable price tag. That could encourage the Toffees to make the investment.
Ueda, for his part, is apparently keen to take the next step in his career and it sounds as though negotiating personal terms wouldn’t be too much of a problem – but interest from rival Premier League sides might prove to be a sticking point.
Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Leeds United are all said to have scouted Ueda too, suggesting a reasonably good chance that Everton would face competition if they decide to enter the bidding.
As such, it’s far too early to suggest that a deal is likely – rather, it’s just one of many possibilities Everton have as they enter the newly-opened summer transfer market, and one that may become more likely still if Ueda and Japan put up a strong showing this summer. As England found out back in March, that may well prove to be the case.
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