Everton reportedly want Leicester City’s Islam Slimani – but Watford striker Troy Deeney could head to Goodison Park instead.
Everton could find themselves at the epicentre of a striker merry-go-round in the January transfer window.
According to The Mirror, Watford manager Marco Silva is keen to reunite with Islam Slimani at Vicarage Road. Leicester City’s £29 million record signing worked with Silva at former club Sporting Lisbon, where he enjoyed the best spell of his career.
And with Slimani falling to fourth place in Leicester’s pecking order, it would be no surprise if The Foxes are open to offers for the misfit frontman.
But if Slimani does indeed pull on that famous yellow kit of Watford, what will this mean for Troy Deeney?
According to The Mirror, Sam Allardyce wants to make the hard-working striker one of his first signings at Everton. The Toffees need a centre-forward and Allardyce believes Deeney could be a vital piece of the jigsaw despite being trusted to start just four Premier League games all season at Watford.
The Hornets, then, could find an immediate replacement for their long-serving skipper in Slimani.
And ironically, Allardyce’s hopes of landing Deeney could be helped by a player Everton have been linked with since at least 2015. The most recent report from La Butuer in November claimed that The Toffees were interested in bringing Slimani to Merseyside.
Though missing out on him could hand Allardyce the powerful and rambunctious centre-forward he is crying out for.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
