Everton out to copy Liverpool by chasing Eredivisie striker
Liverpool have already reaped rich rewards from signing a striker from the Eredivisie and now Merseyside rivals Everton are weighing up whether to take such a risk.
A striker prolific in the Dutch top flight has not always managed to reproduce the goods in the Premier League, with the two obvious examples being Middlesbrough’s big-money capture Afonso Alves and Mateja Kezman at Chelsea.
Liverpool have had no such problems with Luis Suarez, who has been a breath of fresh air since his arrival at Anfield and helped give the club a new lease of life.
Everton are arguably in a down period at present and there appears little hope that they will be back challenging for a top-four spot at any point in the near future.
With funds tight, the pressure is on David Moyes to be careful in the transfer market and avoid making any rash decisions.
A reliable regular goalscorer has proved a leading problem, with teenage striker Apostelos Vellios currently leading the scoring charts with just three goals.
Therefore, a new striker could be a major benefit to the club and one of the names heading the shortlist is Luuk de Jong,
The 21-year-old took giant strides when breaking into the first team at FC Twente last season and helped the club finish runners up behind Ajax.
He has been especially prolific so far this season with eight goals in nine league appearances and has also played a role in the Dutch team to help them qualify for Euro 2012 next summer.
It is believed that Everton could land the hitman for as little as £6m and this could well prove money well spent, especially in the long term.
In the short term, Everton’s odds are 4/5 to win their next Premier League game at home to Stoke.