Everton’s transfer plans could be left in turmoil this summer if Carlo Ancelotti sanctions the sale of his star striker.
The Toffees are on the verge of qualifying for Europe but losing their main man would put a severe damper on an impressive season.
On the chalkboard
This term has been all about the impact of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The attacker has bagged 19 times this season and is now just one goal away from entering an illustrious club at Goodison Park.
Only Romelu Lukaku and Yakubu in the Premier League era have scored more than 20 goals for Everton in a single season across all competitions.
To lose the 24-year-old would duly be a bitter blow to Ancelotti. Manchester United have reportedly made an enquiry to sign the England international but they’ve been met by a hefty buffer, as the Toffees won’t accept anything less than £80m to part with him.
Who will be his replacement?
If a team does stump up that eyebrow-raising sum of cash, then Everton will find it particularly difficult to replace him. They could look towards Moise Kean, currently on loan at PSG, or they may turn to youth striker Anthony Gordon.
However, failure to invest that £80m back into the playing squad would be a big mistake from Marcel Brands - although one way of replacing him would be to target Southampton striker Danny Ings.
Manchester City, Leicester and Tottenham have all been linked with the Saints star but, speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Marcus Bent thinks he’d be a hit at Goodison Park. This comes after he was touted with the Toffees back in January.
He said: "He's 29 in the summer, he's had a few injuries, but has been scoring goals and you want someone to come in and hit the ground running.
"I think it would be a good move for him and a good move for the club, but it would be down to the price tag.”
Ings may have had a few spells on the sidelines but it’s hard to ignore his sensational goal record in the last few years.
Dubbed “unbelievable” by Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, the forward has bagged 44 times in 96 games since penning terms from Liverpool. He has netted on 11 occasions this season but was in scintillating form last term, bagging 25 goals in 42 games.
Ings might not be the same potent threat in the air as Calvert-Lewin, but he has pace and works incredibly hard for the team, pressing from the front and refusing to give the centre-backs a moment’s peace.
[snack-amp-story url= "https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-everton-transfer-news-coutinho-ancelotti-hawng-sarr" title="Read the latest Everton transfer news!"]
It’s his movement and energy which sets him apart from plenty of other forwards in the top flight, being compared to Robbie Keane for the way he goes about his business.
The striker might be approaching the age of 30 but he would be a first-class replacement for Calvert-Lewin if the Toffees ace does indeed walk through the Goodison Park exit door.