Everton endured a frustrating finish to their Premier League season, with a seven-game winless run dragging them away from what had looked like a promising European push.
David Moyes’ side had genuine momentum at one point, beating Chelsea 3-0 at the Hill Dickinson in March and dreaming of continental football next season.
That victory proved something of a false dawn, as the Toffees too often struggled to create enough chances throughout the campaign to sustain a genuine top-half challenge.
Everton recorded just 49.87 xG across the Premier League season, the lowest figure among non-relegated clubs, highlighting a persistent problem in attack that must be addressed this summer.
Thierno Barry was signed from Villarreal for £27m to solve those attacking problems, but the raw and wasteful striker has since attracted interest from RB Leipzig, raising the possibility of an early exit.
Should Leipzig come forward with a compelling proposal, Everton may be open to cashing in and redirecting funds toward a more exciting opportunity currently emerging from Germany.
According to journalist David Schill, Everton are “set to hold direct talks” with the agent of Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane “this week”, hoping to steal a march on rivals Arsenal and Newcastle United.
The 19-year-old Kofane has quickly become one of the most coveted young strikers in Europe, with his agent Eric Depolo boldly claiming that he is “a £100m player.”
Kofane announced himself on the Bundesliga stage last season, scoring five goals and contributing four assists despite making just 13 starts for Bayer Leverkusen.
Beyond his goal contributions, the Cameroonian teenager completed 83% of his passes and 58% of his dribbles, suggesting a technical maturity well beyond his years.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig has described Kofane as “one of the most exciting strikers in the world,” a label that underlines why the biggest clubs on the continent are monitoring his situation so closely.
There is refinement still needed, with Kofane missing 11 big chances last season, but his underlying data paints the picture of a dynamic attacker who influences matches well beyond simple goal contributions.
Comparisons to Romelu Lukaku are already circulating, and it is not difficult to see why Everton fans would embrace the prospect of a similarly imposing centre-forward arriving at the club.
Lukaku remains Everton’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League with 68 goals in 141 appearances, a towering legacy that former manager Ronald Koeman recognised by calling him “one of the best strikers in the world.”
The Belgian left Everton for Manchester United in 2017 for an initial fee of £75m, a departure that left a void the club has spent years attempting to fill adequately.
Kofane offers the physical pace and natural goalscoring instinct that could make him a Lukaku-calibre figure under Moyes, who is quietly assembling something genuinely exciting on Merseyside.
The fact that Premier League champions Arsenal are competing for Kofane’s signature only adds weight to the suggestion that Everton would be landing a generational talent should they succeed.
Everton’s growing confidence that they can get a deal done will be music to supporters’ ears, as the Friedkin Group looks to back Moyes with the kind of marquee attacking addition the club badly needs.