Everton are reportedly interested in free agent Moussa Dembele and Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, as Sean Dyche prioritises the signing of a new goalscorer in the summer transfer window.
The Toffees clinched top-flight safety on the final day of last season, beating Bournemouth 1-0 at Goodison Park. With 34 goals in 38 games, they were the second-lowest scorers in the entire division, thus, it makes complete sense for manager Sean Dyche to make the signing of a new No.9 a priority.
According to Football Whispers, Jamie Vardy has joined Moussa Dembele and Wilfried Gnonto on Everton’s wishlist as they set their sights on strengthening their forward line.
Leicester City suffered relegation at the end of 2022/23 campaign and have told Vardy that he can leave the club this summer before his contract expires in 2024, the report adds. Dembele, meanwhile, is now a free agent after his contract with Lyon expired.
Jamie Vardy or Moussa Dembele—Who should Everton make a move for?
It won’t be a surprise to Everton fans that they are searching for a new striker for the upcoming Premier League season. Sean Dyche wants a prolific goalscorer to lead Everton’s attack as he saw Dominic Calvert-Lewin miss the majority of last season through injury, while Neal Maupay failed to make any impact following his last summer move from Brighton.
Dyche has shortlisted Jamie Vardy, Moussa Dembele and Willy Gnonto as options to reinforce his striker department. In a boost for him and Everton, Leicester have told Vardy he is free to leave the King Power Stadium this summer following their drop to the Championship. They would be looking for a small fee for their star striker.
Vardy, 36, has been a fantastic servant for Leicester for over a decade now, scoring 170 goals in 427 appearances. However, the ex-England international isn’t the prolific No.9 he once was and the 2022/23 campaign saw a massive drop in his performances. The veteran striker only managed six goals in the entire season, and if Dyche’s club are looking for a striker who can support Calvert-Lewin with the goals, there may be better options out there.
That brings us to Dembele—another striker linked with a move to Everton. Following the expiry of his Lyon contract, free agent Dembele is undeniably an appealing prospect. The Frenchman endured a difficult final season with Lyon, starting just eight league games following the re-signing of Alexandre Lacazette last summer.
Despite his difficult term, Dembele has a phenomenal record with Lyon, scoring 70 goals in 172 appearances. Prior to his Lyon move, he attained a cult hero status at Celtic, scoring 51 goals in 94 outings. The 27-year-old is strong, direct and quick whilst possessing an aerial presence to cause problems for the defenders. He exactly how to find the back of the net—as demonstrated by his spells with Celtic and Lyon.
Coming back to Vardy, no doubt he is still a good player but the striker turns 37 next January. So clearly, Vardy will only be a stop-gap solution to Everton’s goalscoring problems, unlike Dembele, who is entering the prime stages of his career and is available on a free transfer. From Everton’s point of view, signing Dembele makes a lot more sense than Vardy as he will inject the much-needed firepower upfront.