Everton will have to act quickly if they are to secure a solution to one of their big problems…

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As per Tutto Salernitana, the Toffees are looking to battle with West Ham United for the signature of Boulaye Dia.

Having starred on loan at Salernitana, the Villarreal striker has since impressed for his nation at the World Cup.

With a €12m (£10m) price tag touted, it is said that what separates the sides in their pursuit is that the Hammers already have an offer tabled. This could push Frank Lampard to act sooner to remain in the race.

Lampard could ditch Maupay

With the 44-year-old clearly struggling up front, bringing in a striker in January will likely be his priority.

Especially given how disappointing summer signing Neal Maupay has been in front of goal this season, with his diminutive physical presence offering little to offset the continued absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Frenchman boasts just one Premier League goal so far and an average SofaScore rating of 6.59.

Meanwhile, his Senegalese counterpart could not be in more blistering form.

Before travelling to Qatar the 26-year-old had scored six and assisted twice in just 14 Serie A matches, helping a side that last season narrowly avoided relegation to a comfortable mid-table finish after 15 games.

Capping off his remarkable season, he even opened the goalscoring in their 3-1 win over hosts Qatar.

It has been a meteoric rise for the marksman, who last season had impressed for his parent club too with a seven-goal and six-assist haul.

Marlon Harewood even spoke to Football FanCast about how delighted he would be should he make the move to the London Stadium, which could bode similarly well for Everton. 

“It seems like he’s got goals, and he’s got a good ratio at the moment," he said, before adding: "Hopefully he’s another [Michail] Antonio because he’s been absolutely fantastic."

In terms of form, swapping Maupay for Dia seems a no-brainer.

It is clear there is a gulf in goalscoring class between them, and not to mention these comparisons to Michail Antonio suggest he could offer far more physicality up top.

Should they manage to sneak in to snatch this deal from the east London outfit, it would mark a huge coup for Lampard and finally allow him to ditch his summer flop.