Everton have reportedly submitted a transfer offer for Dango Ouattara, and it is a deal that Kevin Thelwell needs to get done this month...

That's according to Ouest France, as relayed by Sport Witness, who counter the claim within the translation which states that the bid has been rejected.

With an initial €20m (£18m) offer having now been 'communicated' by Thelwell, Lorient will mull over the potential deal.

However, with Bournemouth's owners having recently acquired a minority stake in the Ligue 1 club, it could scupper any deals with a Premier League relegation rival. As such, the Toffees will need to make an offer that Lorient cannot be refuse, should this first foray be knocked back.

Signing a winger will be of paramount importance to Frank Lampard, who simply must fix his attacking issues if his team are to survive the drop once more.

Having only finished four points ahead of relegated Burnley last term, yesterday's loss to rock-bottom Southampton will now have alarm bells ringing at Goodison Park.

However, halfway through the month, there is still yet to be significant transfer activity of any kind at the club.

This prospective move marks a huge turning point in the January transfer window, as Farhad Moshiri finally seems set to dip into his pockets once more to acquire what Everton really need.

Ouattara has starred this season for Lorient, scoring six goals and setting up six more. On goals scored alone, he far outperforms every other player within the Everton squad, and as such his manager Regis Le Bris has been full of praise for him.

The Lorient boss said of the 20-year-old: "He has the physical abilities needed for the very high level. His jump, his acceleration, his engine. He's going to score headed goals too, you'll see."

Despite Demarai Gray's recent resurgence - outlined in his return of three goal contributions in as many games - his efforts alone will not be enough to carry the Toffees to safety.

The Burkina Faso international could come in and provide some much-needed firepower at Goodison Partk, fixing a misfiring outfit with just 15 league goals scored this season from 19 matches.

At the very least, it would show that there will be some activity in this transfer window. It just might take longer than Evertonians will want, but it's one that Thelwell simply needs to get done before the end of the month.