Everton are in desperate need of striker reinforcements this summer, and now a reliable source has made a claim on a potential transfer target that could be the perfect signing for the club before the transfer window closes.

What's the latest?

According to journalist Pete O'Rourke, Everton could be "actively pursuing" Espanyol's star striker Raul de Tomas.

Speaking to Football FanCast, O'Rourke said:

"Everton's need for a striker is pretty clear to see, with the injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and also losing Richarlison, they are pretty short of attacking options.

"Everton definitely need to bring a new striker in before the transfer window closes and de Tomas could be one of the targets they are actively pursuing."

He's a DCL upgrade

It is no secret that the desperation for a striker signing at Goodison Park is growing every single day, but what if they could kill two birds with one stone and not only sign somebody to fill in for Calvert-Lewin but also a striker who can push him for his position in the Toffees starting team?

De Tomas has been capturing the attention of Premier League giants including Arsenal over the summer following his impressive performances in La Liga with his current club Espanyol.

Over 34 league appearances last season, the €35m (£29.5m) talent who was dubbed an "animal" by journalist Marcos de Vicente, scored 17 goals, delivered three assists and created two big chances, while taking 3.1 shots and winning 4.5 duels per game, as well as being successful in completing 65% of his dribble attempts.

The Spanish striker's talent didn't go unnoticed by his national team manager, with Luis Enrique finally giving De Tomas his international debut with Spain in November last year, and he clearly impressed his coach as he has since earned three more caps playing most recently in the UEFA Nations League tournament.

It wouldn't be fair to compare Calvert-Lewin's last season to De Tomas as the Toffees striker was injured for the large majority, but in the 2020/21 season when he tallied up 33 appearances, it is still clear that the Espanyol striker would be an upgrade.

The 26-year-old scored more goals (17 v 16), had more shots on goal (86 v 72), delivered more assists (3 v 0), completed more passes (604 v 464) and was more successful in his take-ons (69.4 v 44.9), according to Squawka's comparison matrix.

Thus, compared to the Toffees' current leading striker, he is evidently more creative and is capable of beating his man on a regular basis, demonstrating that he offers a more variant threat in the final third.

With that being said, the signing of de Tomas would be a fantastic piece of business if Everton could pull it off over the remaining weeks of the transfer window as it could give Frank Lampard two quality strikers to compete for goals at Goodison Park.