Everton plot move for former Liverpool striker after Beto capture; Demarai Gray exit edges closer
Everton are considering a move for West Ham United striker Danny Ings, who David Moyes is happy to sell for the right price this summer.
The Toffees scored just 34 goals in the Premier League last season, which was ultimately the key reason why they came close to being relegated.
They have started this season in the same vein, losing all three of their opening league games without scoring a single goal – the first time this has happened in Everton’s Premier League history.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is once again unavailable due to an injury, while Neal Maupay has scored just one goal in 31 appearances.
It’s no surprise that Sean Dyche is desperate to bring in some attacking additions. Everton have already signed Youssef Chermiti (£15m), Arnaut Danjuma (loan) and Jack Harrison (loan) this summer.
They are also on the verge of signing Udinese centre-forward Beto for around £26m, with his medical set to take place today.
Dyche could still bring in another striker on top of Beto, though, and wants to sign someone with Premier League experience. Ings certainly has that in abundance, so could be a good signing for Everton.
Everton could sign Ings after Gray sale
According to The Sunday Mirror (27/08, p77), Everton are ‘weighing up’ a move for Ings.
Interestingly, the 31-year-old was linked with a move to the Merseyside club in January, but ended up joining West Ham instead.
Ings has struggled with injuries since his arrival at the London Stadium. He has made 24 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers, scoring three goals.
While that may not sound prolific, he still has a long history of scoring goals consistently. The former Liverpool striker has made 207 Premier League appearances throughout his career, netting 70 times and making 21 assists. This gives him an average of 0.44 goal contributions per game.
With that in mind, he could be exactly the kind of player Everton need to avoid relegation this season. As reported by TEAMtalk, West Ham are happy to sell him.
However, given the Toffees’ ongoing financial issues, they may need to sell players before they buy anyone else.
In that regard, Demarai Gray is the most likely departure for Everton at the moment.
According to reports from Italy (via the Liverpool Echo), Saudi club Al Shabab have submitted an offer of £12m for the winger. That would represent a significant profit on the £1.7m Everton paid for him in 2021.
If that sale goes through, Everton may well make a bid for Ings. It isn’t clear from the Mirror’s report how much West Ham would demand for Ings, but it’s likely they would want to recoup as much of the £15m they spent on him as possible.
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