Delight for Dyche with free agent striker ‘arriving for Everton talks’; Nottingham Forest also interested
Andre Ayew: Swansea star wanted by PL big-hitters
Free agent Ghana international Andre Ayew could still join a Premier League club with talks set to continue over a potential move, according to reports.
The former Swansea City and West Ham player is set to negotiate with two unnamed English teams, with the pair most likely to be Everton and Nottingham Forest.
The Toffees in particular are in need of attacking recruits as they face yet another relegation battle, so it will be interesting to see if they can get a deal over the line.
New Everton manager Sean Dyche was left without any January signings after the club failed in multiple approaches for targets, despite promises from their majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri that additions would be made.
Ayew is a free agent after terminating his contract with Qatari side Al Sadd on Sunday, meaning he is permitted to join any team despite the transfer window coming to a close.
As mentioned, the Toffees have already tried and failed to make signings, making ambitious late moves for the likes of Olivier Giroud, Udinese striker Beto and Coventry City forward Viktor Gyokeres.
Now, they are left with an attacking void in the squad following the departure of Anthony Gordon, with the need for a new centre-forward clear to see.
Everton and Forest expected to hold talks with Ayew ahead of free transfer
On Tuesday, TEAMtalk reported that Everton and Nottingham Forest may look to do a late move for Ayew, with him having extra time to complete the deal given he is out of contract.
The Toffees’ number nine Dominic Calvert-Lewin has once again struggled to stay fit this season, whilst summer signing Neal Maupay has scored just one goal so far. As a result, they were forced to recall young forward Ellis Simms from his loan at Sunderland.
In that sense, Ayew may be better than nothing for Dyche, who is under big pressure to steer Everton away from the drop zone.
Forest, on the other hand, could also do with an experienced attacker like Ayew. They have already made a staggering 29 additions this season, but Steve Cooper is allegedly prepared to bring in more new faces to help avoid a relegation scrap .
According to Sky Sports pundit Dharmesh Sheth, Ayew will arrive in England for talks on Wednesday.
On Twitter, he said: “Andre Ayew is flying into the UK tonight. Due to have face to face talks with 2 Premier League clubs.
“Ayew is a free agent after his contract at Al Saad was mutually terminated. 33 year-old former Swansea & West Ham striker captained Ghana at the World Cup.”
Across his entire career, the veteran forward has scored 153 goals in 527 appearances, along with 58 assists, giving him an average of 0.4 goal contributions per game. Ayew has also spent three full seasons in the Premier League, playing for West Ham and Swansea.
However, with his next move likely to be his last, it remains to be seen if he can still perform at the highest level.
