via Reuters
Everton's summer transfer window ended in disaster as they failed to sign Beto's replacement before the deadline, but now they are targeting a shock move for Mauro Icardi as they look to redeem themselves.
Beto completed a £15m move to the Serie A outfit on deadline day, and Everton believed they were going to get a striker of their own through the door at the Hill Dickinson Stadium prior to the 11pm shutoff.
It turned out to be an eventful deadline day, with the main headline being their failure to complete a deal for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun, despite agreeing a £40m deal with the Ligue 1 outfit.
Club chiefs tried to renegotiate the deal following issues with the USA international's medical, with the player himself then deciding he didn't want to move to Merseyside.
Everton also made attempts to sign Tammy Abraham from Aston Villa and Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United as they looked to seal a late striker signing, but neither deal could be agreed.
It has left Thierno Barry as the club's only recognised centre-forward, and they surely need to bring in another option as a free-agent to boost them until the January transfer window.
The Merseysiders have been linked with the likes of Jamie Vardy and former United forward Anthony Martial, but the former has now joined Championship club Burnley.
There are some other big names like Karim Benzema still available and, according to ESPN journalist Luiz Carlos Largo, posting on X, they are weighing up a free transfer move for Icardi.
Icardi Has Still Got It After Galatasaray Spell
PSG-Mauro-Icardi
Paris St Germain's Mauro Icardi looks on
He may be 33 years of age now, but Icardi showed during his four-year spell in Turkey that he is still a striker with something to offer on the pitch, even though distractions off it might be a concern for Everton.
That said, he captained he Turkish giants and he has proven throughout his career that he knows where the goal is, and that is just what the Toffees right now to support Barry in attack.
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Mauro Icardi Career Record
Club
Sampdoria
Inter Milan
PSG
Galatasaray
Icardi ended his final season in Istanbul with 16 goals in 47 outings, and now he is looking for his next club.
Serie A giants Lazio have also been interested in the Argentine star, with manager Gennaro Gattuso a big fan of the 33-year-old.
Mauro is a player who has written his name into football history; he’s a goalscorer. Here too, we have to see whether he is functional or not. I don’t feel like talking about it today.
"We need a player with pace, intensity and, obviously, someone who puts the ball in the net. But he has to be a complete player. We’re not simply looking for a goalscorer. We want a player who can help us move up the pitch and attack space in behind."
Icardi's potential salary demands could be an issue, but perhaps what is more worrying for Moyes is the criticism he received from the Turkish press about distractions away from football.
Some outlets described him as a "one-man walking soap opera" because of his constant off-pitch distractions, including a complex international legal divorce battle, and litigation over unpaid rent in Istanbul.
Signing Icardi would be a risk, but there are few better free-agent options available to Everton right now.
Everton boss David Moyes watching on from the touchline
Everton boss David Moyes watching on from the touchline