Everton transfer news as striker hunt goes on with Sean Dyche frustrated

Everton boss Sean Dyche has put any exit for Tom Cannon on hold until the club signs another striker, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The newspaper journalist shared via his Patreon on 16 August that Dyche’s frustrating wait for the club to sign a new forward has led to the decision after a move for Leicester City striker Patson Daka is taking longer than expected.

Dyche 'confident' Everton goalscoring woes will be solved with one forward 'behind the curve'
The lack of new recruits up front at Goodison Park has left the boss short of options, and he wants to keep Cannon around in case no deal is done with a deadline set for Wednesday 16 August extended already.

Further delays to Cannon’s loan move away from Goodison Park are not ideal for any of the parties involved. The striker will be better off on loan where he can get regular football rather than filling space on Everton’s bench just in case the club need him.

A move on loan to Preston North End seems his most likely destination after rumours suggested it may be completed today [16 August], after he spent the latter half of last season with them. They will be frustrated by yet another delay as they need him through the doors at Deepdale as soon as possible

Ideally, Everton would be able to bring in their new forward in the coming days, which would allow Cannon to go, but until that happens they will be forced to keep him around for depth, despite a low likelihood of him gaining any first-team experience.

Everton are desperate for reinforcement up front due to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s continued injury struggles, and after Neal Maupay once again proved to be ineffective in front of goal, as the Toffees struggled to make their dominance count in their 1-0 loss to Fulham.

Everton have reportedly made an improved bid for Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto, who is considered to be one of their top targets.

The 19-year-old has refused to play in the Whites’ last two matches as he attempts to force through a move to Goodison Park, despite the Yorkshire club’s ‘not for sale’ stance.

Everton recently saw a £20m offer rejected by Leeds but are still determined to sign Gnonto this summer. The Italian has already reached an agreement on personal terms with the Toffees.

They have already made four signings this summer in Ashley Young (free), Arnaut Danjuma (loan), Youssef Chermiti (£15m) and Jack Harrison (loan) as they look to avoid another relegation battle.

Adding goals and more pace to Toffees’ squad seems to be Sean Dyche’s priority this summer. Everton scored just 34 goals last term, which was a key reason they almost went down.

Demarai Gray is expected to be sold, with Crystal Palace and Fulham both linked with the Everton attacker. Gnonto is likely to be his replacement, but only if the Merseyside club can agree a transfer fee with Leeds.

Everton make £25m bid for Gnonto

As stated live on Sky Sports News, Everton have made a new bid of £25m (including add-ons) for Gnonto.

Recent reports have suggested that Leeds would be willing to accept an offer in the region of £25m-£30m for the Italy international, so it could be enough to force their hand.

As noted by TEAMtalk, Leeds manager Daniel Farke has banished Gnonto from training after he refused to play in their last two matches, so everything points towards the winger joining Everton at the moment.

Gnonto scored two goals and made four assists in 24 Premier League appearances last season. His performances have also earned him a spot in the Italy national team, with 12 caps so far, so there is certainly no doubting his quality.

He is still a youngster, too, so is expected to improve as he gains experience and could therefore prove to be an excellent long-term investment for the Toffees