Everton reportedly remain keen to sign Porto forward Luis Diaz over the coming months after missing out on him over the summer.

What's the story?

The Toffees were heavily linked with a move for the 24-year-old in the previous window after identifying him as a top transfer target prior to Deadline Day.

It was claimed that Everton wanted to sign Diaz as part of a deal that would have seen James Rodriguez move in the opposite direction and return to the Portuguese club.

However, no deal ever came to fruition, and Rodriguez ended up joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan after being deemed surplus to requirements by new manager Rafael Benitez.

But now, according to Correio da Manha (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), the Goodison Park outfit could land the winger for £43m in January.

Marcel Brands must sanction Everton move

The Colombia international arrived at the Estadio do Dragao from his homeland back in 2019 and quickly established himself as a key player for the Dragons.

In 107 appearances for Sergio Conceicao’s charges, he has bagged 31 goals and provided a further 14 assists for his teammates, playing a pivotal part in their domestic double in 2019/20.

His impressive performances at club level have earned Diaz 26 caps for his country, and the youngster featured heavily for his nation last summer in the Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four strikes.

After netting the winning goal for Colombia as they won 3-2 in their third-place play-off with Peru, former Chelsea ace Juan Cuadrado showered his teammate in praise, insisting that Los Cafeteros wouldn’t have won without the skilful forward.

“We won because of Lucho, he has an excellent level, and he will achieve great things,” Cuadrado said after the game.

With summer signing Demarai Gray currently excelling in a central role with four goal involvements and Richarlison out injured, 20-year-old Anthony Gordon was deployed on the left-wing last time out against Manchester United.

And although the youngster performed admirably at Old Trafford, helping his side claim a much-deserved draw, Diaz would undoubtedly present an upgrade on the academy graduate.

Therefore, Everton's director of football, Marcel Brands, must sanction a move for the highly-rated South American in the winter window, adding some extra quality to Benitez's charges as they go in search of European football.

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