Everton have reportedly made an approach to signing Lyon star, Moussa Dembele, with Sean Dyche seemingly hoping to bolster the club's centre-forward ranks this summer.
What's the latest on Dembele to Everton?
According to Jeunes Footeux, the 26-year-old is said to be of 'particular interest' to those at Goodison Park, with the former France U21 international set to be available on a free transfer at the end of the season with just a matter of months left on his existing deal.
The report suggests that the Toffees have made an offer of around €5m (£4m) a year in order to tempt the former Celtic and Fulham striker to make a move back to England, albeit with any deal potentially set to rest on whether the Merseyside outfit are able to stave off relegation.
The piece also reveals that the Premier League outfit were interested in signing the £70k-per-week man during the January transfer window, while the likes of Aston Villa, Southampton and Crystal Palace have also been named as potential suitors ahead of this summer.
Should Everton sign Dembele?
A new number nine appears a matter of urgency for the joint-lowest scorers in the top-flight, with Everton currently suffering amid the continued injury woes of England international, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while summer signing Neal Maupay has also failed to deliver this season with just one league goal to his name.
As such, turning to a "scoring machine" such as Dembele – as lauded by L'Equipe's Bertrand Latour – would seemingly be an astute move as far as Dyche is concerned, with the 6-foot menace having been a regular goalscoring presence throughout his career to date.
The Pointoise native notably came to wider prominence after scoring 51 goals and providing 18 assists in just 94 games during his two-year stint at Parkhead, having since gone on to bag 70 goals and 19 assists in 170 appearances in his homeland.
While the one-time Atletico Madrid loanee has scored just three Ligue 1 goals this season after falling behind Alexandre Lacazette in the attacking pecking order at Lyon, the striker's displays prior to that no doubt bode well for the impact he can make on Merseyside.
Dyche and co should also be encouraged by Dembele's apparent likeness to Napoli sensation, Victor Osimhen, with the pair said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities, according to FBref.
That likeness to Osimhen – who has also been dubbed a "goal machine" himself by journalist Mimi Fawaz – is illustrated by the duo's potent threat in front of goal, with the Nigeria international ranking in the top 1% among his European peers for non-penalty goals, while Dembele is only just behind as he ranks in the top 7% in that regard.
Equally, the two men are clearly out-and-out centre-forwards in a traditional sense due to their desire to stay in and around the 18-yard box, with the Naples hero ranking in the top 4% for touches in the attacking penalty area, while the Lyon ace ranks in the top 14% for that same metric.
To be compared to such a player is a marker of Dembele's perhaps unsung quality, with Osimhen currently one of the most coveted assets on the continent after netting 21 Serie A goals so far this term, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea currently showing an interest in the 24-year-old's services.
As far as the Toffees are concerned, to be able to land their answer to the former Lille man with the signing of Dembele on a free would represent a real coup, particularly when a player of Osimhen's profile is likely to command as much as €150m (£132m), according to reports.