Everton’s striker search is coming down to two names
Everton’s hunt for a new number nine is starting to narrow, even though nothing is close to done.
Liam Delap remains the leading contender. Chelsea’s valuation of the striker has reportedly dropped from around £40m toward £30m following his difficult debut season at Stamford Bridge, and Everton are understood to see him as their most realistic route to genuine firepower up front.
Troy Parrott has emerged as the other name gathering pace. Everton are in the mix for the AZ Alkmaar forward but face competition from Ajax and Real Betis, with three weeks left before the season starts and Moyes still short of a new centre-forward.
Both would arrive as upgrades on Thierno Barry and Beto, the club’s current options, with Barry himself facing questions over his long-term future amid interest from RB Leipzig.
A handful of other names have floated around the search earlier in the window without gaining serious traction. Jhon Duran, Ayase Ueda and Taty Castellanos have all been mentioned at various points, but none currently carry the same weight as Delap or Parrott.
Everton have made two permanent signings so far this summer in Hayden Hackney and Christian Nørgaard, alongside Merlin Röhl’s loan being made permanent. A striker remains the clearest gap in the squad heading into the new campaign, and Moyes will be hoping one of his two leading targets moves before the window shuts.
You can follow every Everton arrival and departure on our live transfer tracker.
Gary is editor for ReadEverton. He has many years experience of sports writing behind him after deciding (belatedly) that the world of accountancy wasn't for him. His work has been featured on (among many others) BBC Sport and The Metro. He has written on many sports, but considers himself an expert in football and F1. When not writing and editing he likes to go to the cinema and sip a lovely cold pint of Guinness (not always at the same time).
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