Everton should renew battle with Liverpool for Emil Forsberg after agent claims

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The Swede has lit up the Bundesliga this season but could be on his way this month.

First, there was Kevin De Bruyne. Then, Henrikh Mkhitaryan. And, for the third season in a row, Bayern Munich’s monopolisation of German football has come under threat from a plucky title challenger inspired by an all-action attacking midfielder.

Emil Forsberg’s name might not carry the weight of the two previous Bundesliga Player of the Year winners, now lighting up the turf on either side of the Manchester divide, but without the Swede’s five goals and league-leading eight assists, RB Leipzig’s Hollywood rise from second place in the second division to second place in the top division within six months would not have been possible.

True, his late lunge on Philip Lahm prior to the winter break earned him a straight red and set Leipzig on their way to a 3-0 defeat at the home of Bayern but, in almost every other game this season, Forsberg has made the difference.

Therefore, recent comments from the 25-year-old’s agent are likely to have substantial repercussions across the transfer market.

“RB [Leipzig] is on the way to becoming a big club… Nevertheless, I cannot promise that Emil will stay in Leipzig this winter,” Hasan Cetinkaya told Bild in quotes reported by The Independent.

They add that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are preparing a £20 million offer after finally accepting defeat in their pursuit of Dortmund wonderkid Christian Pulisic but, if recent history is anything to go by, Merseyside could be the scene of an exhilarating transfer battle this month.

The Daily Star reported in August that Everton had sent scouts to run the rule over the intuitive Scandinavian playmaker in the second division last season with his vision and composure in possession enough to encourage a £12 million bid.

If they were impressed by Forsberg’s performances against Heidenheim and Saunhausen in 2015/16, then sublime individual displays versus the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach must surely have caught their eye.

And, with the futures of Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu very much uncertain, and Yannick Bolasie out with a serious injury, Ronald Koeman could do worse than to answer Everton’s playmaking problems with the best the Bundesliga has to offer.