Credit: Imago/HNS on X

James Barker

Mon 1 June 2026 20:10, UK

Toni Fruk enjoyed an excellent 2025-26 season for Rijeka, and Everton should be all over getting a deal done for him this summer.

The 25-year-old is heading to this summer’s World Cup, as he was named in Zlatko Dalic’s 26-man Croatia squad for the tournament.

Despite coming through at Fiorentina as a youngster, Fruk has only ever seen senior action in Croatia, and he now looks to have reached a crossroads point in his career.

Now entering his prime years, it remains to be seen whether the versatile attacking midfielder holds a burning ambition to test himself in one of Europe’s top divisions, or if indeed he’s happy staying in his homeland.

If it’s the former, then Fruk’s signature should be near the top of Everton’s summer transfer wishlist, as he’s fresh off the back of another outstanding campaign.

How did Toni Fruk fare for Rijeka in 2025-26?

Moving to Rijeka in the summer of 2023, Fruk has taken his game to a whole other level with them.

Indeed, he’s scored 37 times and provided 28 assists in 138 games for Rijeka, but he’s saved his best goalscoring season for his most recent campaign.

Fruk scored 19 goals and provided three assists in 50 total appearances in 2025-26, which bettered his 14-goal return from 2024-25 respectively.

If that wasn’t a clear enough indication of his ability, his underling numbers from last term paint a clear picture of just how important and impactful a player he is for Rijeka, whilst offering a glimpse of what he could bring to Everton.

As per FotMob, Fruk’s 44 accurate long balls and 15 big chances created were the most of any attacking midfielder in the Croatian top flight last season.

Meanwhile, his 45 chances created and 74 shots on goal ranked him in the top three percentile of his positional peers, whilst he also completed 40 successful dribbles, took 94 touches in the opposition box and won 149 duels respectively.

Fruk also won 59 fouls, made 116 recoveries, won possession in the final third 27 times and won 37 tackles respectively, showing he’s more than just a creative node and that he can do the dirty work in defence as well.

Why Rijeka may need to sell Fruk this summer

Capable of playing anywhere across the forward line, Fruk would be an extremely valuable commodity for Everton to have, especially considering the potential for a number of key attacking players to leave the club this summer.

As aforementioned, this summer feels like a big one in his career, as his transfer value has never been higher and he’s surely now outgrown Croatian football, respectfully.

Rijeka may also feel inclined to sell their talisman in the coming weeks too, and that’s because he’s only contracted with them until the summer of 2027.

Some of these skills from Toni Fruk 😮‍💨#UECL | @NKRijeka pic.twitter.com/8dn6QkE1JQ

— UEFA Conference League (@Conf_League) March 18, 2026

Therefore, by not cashing in this summer, Rijeka are running a major risk of missing out on what would surely be a club-record sale, which currently stands at £9million for Andrej Kramaric’s move to Leicester in 2015.

Everton were linked with Fruk in January alongside a host of other Premier League sides, and the Toffees could do a lot worse than brining the Croat to Hill Dickinson Stadium this summer.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.