Everton round-up: Koeman seeking striker; Frenchman move ruled out; Barkley injury may not hinder move

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Ever since the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, Everton boss Ronald Koeman has been under pressure to add to his forward line in order to replace the Belgian’s goals.

The Dutchman has been boosted by the return of prodigal son Wayne Rooney, the arrival of Sandro Ramirez from Málaga, and the £40 million club-record capture of Gylfi Sigurdsson, but Koeman is still looking for another striker as the final piece of the forward puzzle, and he is still on the hunt despite ruling out a move for Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the French forward had been one of Koeman’s priority targets this summer, but the club have seemingly admitted defeat in the endeavour, with Giroud preferring to remain at the Emirates and fight for his place in the starting eleven.

Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke and Fiorentina’s Nikola Kalinic, once of Blackburn Rovers, are amongst the alternatives being lined-up.

Despite the hunt for another forward proving troublesome, Koeman has insisted that he won’t be forced into panic buying, according to the source.

“Yes, still we need a striker,” Koeman explained. “It’s difficult because it needs to be a quality player or a young player who can develop or improve and we know maybe have the possibility to sign good players but we don’t play Champions League and that’s also a reason that sometimes makes decisions very difficult.

“Of course, if we don’t get a striker then it is all about young players. Everybody knows that we lost Lukaku, we signed Sandro (Ramirez) we know the development of Dominic (Calvert-Lewin) but we need another one who can play the Number Nine role.”

Meanwhile, according to the day’s printed edition of L’Équipe, the club have ruled out a move for Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko, who was a transfer target for the Toffees last summer whilst still at Newcastle.

The Merseyside club had all but sealed the signing of the Frenchman last summer only for the player to opt for a move to White Hart Lane at the eleventh hour. However, despite a strong showing with France at Euro 2016, Sissoko has failed to impress at Tottenham and is growing frustrated with a lack of first-team football in North London.

This time around though, it appears that the Blues are unwilling to stump up the cash, and are under less pressure to do so after sealing the signing of Sigurdsson.

Finally, the Telegraph reports that Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will not be put off in their efforts to sign Ross Barkley, despite the 23-year-old set for a three month layoff with a hamstring tear.

The capped England international is in the last 12 months of his contract, sparking fears that his latest setback, for which he may need surgery, could scupper a move away from Goodison Park.

However, it seems that it won’t deter Spurs or Chelsea from trying to sign Barkley, although it remains to be seen as to whether they will be willing to stump up the £25 million they were reportedly ready to table to bring in the Everton academy graduate.

Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino in particular, are thought to be more willing to invest in Barkley with his long-term future in mind rather than the short term, according to the source.

The article also includes quotes from the Everton camp on Barkley’s future, quoting manager Ronald Koeman as saying that he will “wait until the end of August” before making a decision on the midfielder. Everton are thought to value Barkley at roughly £50 million, as report the Telegraph.