Report: English club really want to sign ‘brilliant’ player who could be given a chance at Everton this season

Preston North End have made Tom Cannon their number one target this summer.

The Lilywhites are desperate to re-sign the striker after a hugely successful loan spell last summer, according to LancsLive.

After making his senior debut for Everton in November, Cannon joined Preston in January until the end of the season. Despite his lack of professional football, the 20-year-old netted eight goals in 20 appearances in the Championship.

Cannon very quickly became a firm favourite at Deepdale, with Preston boss labelling him ‘absolutely brilliant’ and a ‘credit to Everton’ back in April.

The forward has since attracted plenty of interest, with the likes of Sunderland and Luton Town both interested in his signature.

However, Preston have reportedly already been in discussions with Everton over another loan deal and they are now prioritising a move for the youngster.

The news comes shortly after reports claimed that Everton would consider giving Cannon a chance in the first team following Ellis Simms’ switch to Coventry City.

Everton can’t afford to let Tom Cannon join Preston before they bolster their own attack

Everton’s main priority this summer has been offloading players to be able to fund their own signings, however that probably shouldn’t be the case with Tom Cannon.

The Toffees have already sold Ellis Simms to Coventry, while Neal Maupay remains heavily linked with the exit door.

If the Premier League club let Cannon join Preston then they could potentially be left with only the injury-prone up front.

The 20-year-old will definitely benefit from a second loan spell in the Championship, however Everton need to focus on bringing in another attacker or two first.

The Toffees continue to be linked with El Bilal Toure, who appears to be one of their first choice targets as they look to add more competition for Calvert-Lewin.

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Everton are reportedly ‘in the sprint’ for Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia, but they will have to move quickly to secure his signature. 

The Senegal international has €25m (£21.7m) release clause in his contract that is set to expire tomorrow and the Toffees are among the favourites to sign him.

It’s no secret that Sean Dyche is keen to bring in at least one new striker this summer. Last season, Everton scored just 34 goals in the Premier League. As a result, they came close to being relegated for the first time since 1951.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin endured another injury-disrupted campaign, while Neal Maupay netted just one goal in 27 league appearances.

Everton have been linked with several strikers recently. Viktor Gyokeres was one player they were interested in, but Sporting Lisbon won the race for him.

Free agent Moussa Dembele is another player who has been discussed, but he is believed to have very lucrative contract offers from Saudi.

Reports now suggest that Everton could switch their attention back to Dia, who they have been linked with in the past.

Due to the Toffees’ ongoing financial issues, however, they may have to get creative with the deal.

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Everton are ‘in the sprint’ and ‘ready’ to move for Dia this summer.

The report adds that Everton ‘could eventually win the race,’ despite interest from Fiorentina and AC Milan. That is because Salernitana ‘really like’ Maupay, who Dyche is willing to part ways with this summer.

This means Everton could potentially use Maupay in a part-exchange deal for Dia. They will have to move quickly if they do so, however

As mentioned, Dia’s release clause will void tomorrow at midnight. After that, Salernitana will only accept bids in the region of €40m (£34.7m), which is even less attainable for Everton than his €25m (£21.7m) release clause.

Therefore, Everton will need to make their move before tomorrow night’s deadline. Using Maupay as a bargaining chip could lower the price to something more affordable.

Last season, Dia scored 16 goals in 33 Serie A appearances for Salernitana. Incredibly, that is almost half of the Toffees entire 2022/23 Premier League goal tally.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if do Everton use Maupay as a makeweight in a bid for Dia. This is definitely one for Toffees fans to keep an eye on for the next couple of days.