Everton

Everton

Premier League • England

Everton transfer news: Ludovic Ajorque chase ‘gains momentum’ as Toffees contact striker’s club over deal

Ludovic Ajorque of Strasbourg

Everton have reportedly stepped up their interest in French forward Ludovic Ajorque by making contact with the star’s club, Strasbourg.

Everton are in need of a new striker after selling Richarlison to Tottenham for £60million in July. Frank Lampard now has just Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Salomon Rondon as senior strikers in his squad.

And Everton’s search has been heightened by a knee injury to Calvert-Lewin. He missed the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Saturday due to the issue.

Even if Calvert-Lewin was fit, the Toffees would still need a new option up front. Rondon is not a good enough backup striker amid Everton’s aim of climbing back up the Prem table.

With these factors in mind, Everton have recently begun targeting Ajorque. And it seems like he would be a good signing.

Ajorque hit 16 goals in Ligue 1 two seasons ago and found the net 12 times last campaign. As he isn’t really a big name, he shouldn’t cost Everton too much either.

French source Foot Mercato reveal the latest on Ajorque’s situation. They claim Everton’s pursuit of the goalscorer has ‘gained momentum’ in the last few days.

Lampard’s side have made contact with Strasbourg to discover whether they would be open to a sale.

Everton discover Strasbourg demands for Ludovic Ajorque

And Everton got a good response; they were told to put up a loan offer with the option to buy next summer for £15.2million (€18m).

Everton are now discussing the potential bid internally, while Strasbourg are waiting to see what financial terms the Merseyside outfit come up with.

Ajorque has two years left on his contract with the French club. As he is unlikely to renew, Strasbourg are happy to sell now rather than risk a free-transfer exit further down the line.

The report claims Ajorque is up for the challenge of playing in the Prem. He has only featured in France before, so joining Everton would be a good next step for the 28-year-old.

Foot Mercato also provide a bit of an insight into Strasbourg’s other striker plans. While Ajorque will be allowed to go, they want to keep his attacking team-mate Habib Diallo.

This is a transfer which makes sense for Lampard and Everton. transfermarkt value Ajorque at £14.4m, so Everton capturing him for £15.2m means they are not paying massively over the odds.

Plus, the initial season-long loan will give Lampard the chance to have a good look at the attacker’s ability. If he struggles, then Everton can simply pull out of the permanent deal as it is only optional.

Everton fans may want the club to bring in someone with experience of scoring goals in the Prem. However, these players are often costly, and Everton cannot afford any more expensive mistakes in the transfer market.

Signing lesser known players such as Ajorque could be the way to go for the Goodison Park side.

Meanwhile, Everton are also taking a look at Southampton ace Che Adams and have now been told how much he will cost.