Everton are “informed” on the situation of Lyon striker Moussa Dembele ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Is Moussa Dembele leaving Lyon?
The Frenchman first arrived at the Groupama Stadium from Celtic back in 2018 and since joining, he’s gone on to make a total of 172 appearances under Laurent Blanc, but he’s now on the lookout for his next destination after it was confirmed that he would be leaving upon the expiration of his contract at the end of this month.
The Ligue 1 centre-forward is no stranger to the English top-flight having carried out a spell at Fulham between 2012-2016, and after making himself available on the market, there’s a chance that he could be set to return having caught the eye of Sean Dyche, but not for the first time.
Back in January, The Mirror (via Goodison News) reported that the Toffees were in talks to sign the 26-year-old but a deal failed to come to fruition, though with him now set to cost nothing to recruit, the boss has been put on alert once again as he weighs up whether to make a second attempt at bringing him to Merseyside.
Are Everton signing Dembele?
Taking to Twitter, Romano name-checked Everton as one of the clubs interested in striking a deal for Dembele following his departure from Lyon. He wrote:
“Moussa Dembele has been approached by several clubs after leaving OL as free agent. Understand Everton and Galatasaray are both informed on conditions of the deal, while Saudi clubs are also keeping tabs on Moussa's situation.”
Should Dyche make another move for Dembele?
Everton are clearly serious about signing Dembele to be considering another approach and it’s no surprise given Dyche's penchant for playing with a classic number nine. Dembele was previously dubbed the “New Didier Drogba” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, so with the centre-forward being free, it would be an absolute bargain of a deal and one that Dyche should 100% revisit.
The Adidas-sponsored star, who pockets £51k-per-week, clocked up 89 goal contributions (70 goals and 19 assists) in 172 Lyon appearances and standing at 6 foot tall, makes an ideal target man, averaging 1.3 aerial wins per league game last season, a number that rises to 3 if you take it per 90 minutes.
Finally, Dembele, who has the versatility to operate as a second striker alongside his natural role up top, already knows what it takes to compete and be successful having secured ten trophies at club level throughout his career, so would be able to instill a much-need positive mindset and winning mentality to the squad at Goodison Park.