View: Frank Lampard’s £14m target Boulaye Dia can make Dominic Calvert-Lewin woes disappear
Everton are eyeing up Boulaye Dia for a January swoop, and the Senegalese striker could be Frank Lampard’s missing piece of the puzzle.
Frank Lampard already has one eye on the January transfer window, with the Toffees showing interest in Senegalese striker Dia.
Dia has impressed on loan at Salernitana this season, and the Italian outfit were offered the chance to sign the 25-year-old for £10.5million from parent club Villarreal, according to Tuttosalernitana.
However, the report also mentions interest from Everton and says the Toffees are willing to outbid Salernitana in order to seal Dia’s signature.
Villarreal would be much more open to the rumoured £14million bid being prepared by Everton, and a move for the striker could be made as soon as January.
DCL threat
Lampard moved quickly in the summer to bolster Everton’s attacking department, with Neal Maupay arriving from Brighton to provide competition for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
However, the Frenchman has ended up becoming Everton’s mainstay up front, with Calvert-Lewin enduring what seems to be his one-thousandth spell on the sidelines.
While the 25-year-old is incredibly talented and superb on his day, he’s far too unreliable to be Everton’s long-term first-choice striker.
Maupay can certainly fill in while he remains injured, but if he too picks up a knock then Lampard’s next option is to deploy the wasteful Salomon Rondon up front – but he looks to be on his way out of Goodison Park.
That opens up space for a new striker to arrive, and Lampard seems to have his sights set on Dia. He’s quick, strong and most importantly – reliable.
Dia has netted four goals in eight appearances for Salernitana, and his record for Villarreal and former club Reims are also appealing. His arrival at Merseyside will take the pressure off of both Maupay and Calvert-Lewin. The former can finally have some backup and competition up front, while the latter can be allowed to rest and recover without the constant spotlight on when he’ll be back.
It’s a win-win deal, and at £14million one Everton should definitely snap up.