Everton's only recognised senior striker is Thierno Barry, who has six goals from 10 games this season. With the January transfer window approaching, the club could look to add competition for the 22-year-old, who has at times lacked composure in front of goal.
Barry has been one of the positives in a season that started unbeaten after eight games in all competitions, before two successive defeats. Only Erling Haaland has a higher Expected Goals (xG) total among Premier League attackers this term. However, three of Barry's six goals came against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup in August.
Why Everton need another striker
David Moyes was left short up front after a frustrating end to the transfer window, when Monaco and United States striker Folarin Balogun pulled out of a deal on deadline day after Everton medical staff raised concerns over his medical. If Barry were to pick up an injury, Moyes would be reliant on players performing out of position.
Despite The Friedkin Group's recent decision to listen to offers for Everton, the American ownership group has committed to continue supporting the club, and were prepared to commit £40m to Balogun as late as two months ago.
The criteria for targets
Using Transfermarkt player valuations as a guide, the three players featured are all assigned a market value (MV) of €45m (£37.7m) or less - the closest figure to the £40m package Everton had planned to spend on Balogun. The criteria are based on the profiles of Barry and Balogun, preferring a striker who gets plenty of shots away (at least three per game), can trouble athletic Premier League defenders with pace (at least 33km/h), and finds space in the box (at least five touches in the opposition box per game).
Moyes also likes a striker who doesn't shirk physical challenges, though Balogun posted lower figures of 3.21 duels won per 90 and a 36.4% win percentage on his way to scoring 13 Ligue 1 goals last season. Barry, by contrast, is in the top 20% of Premier League strikers for both duels won per 90 (7.36) and win percentage (47.5%).
Christian Kofane (Bayer Leverkusen) - MV: €40m (£33.5m)
20-year-old Christian Kofane is a full Cameroonian international playing in the German Bundesliga, where he has impressed despite inconsistent playing time since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Spanish side Albacete in summer 2025. Everton have previously shown an interest in the 6'2" striker, with his agent, Eric Depolo, said to have been spotted at Finch Farm in the summer, and Depolo later claimed that Leverkusen had rejected three offers from Premier League clubs worth in the region of £60m.
Kofane has only scored 10 goals from 50 Bundesliga appearances, but already has two goals from just 134 minutes of Bundesliga action this season. Last season, he took an average of 3.45 shots per 90 for an average of 0.50 xG per 90, while his expected goals on target (xGOT) sat at 0.45 - numbers that suggest he was unlucky to score just five league goals from 1,235 minutes. He also bagged four assists, completed 58.3% of his dribbles, and averaged 5.98 touches in the opposition box per 90. With a top speed of 34.85km/h, Kofane showed he can be a physical presence, including in the box with 0.80 headed shots per 90.
Price-wise - especially if £60m turns out to be the going rate - this could be too much for Everton to realistically spend on one player with shortages in other areas of the squad, but Kofane's potential is clear and previous interest could give the Toffees the upper hand if a move becomes possible in January.
Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven) - MV: €30m (£25.1m)
After the Balogun move broke down, Everton could look at his principal rival for the starting spot up front for the United States: Ricardo Pepi. Starring for PSV Eindhoven, Pepi has scored 48 goals from 110 games after signing in the summer of 2023, before the reigning Dutch champions embarked on a run of three successive Eredivisie titles.
Still just 23 years old, Pepi has already scored three goals from six starts this season, averaging 0.73 non-penalty xG per 90, with an xGOT average (including penalties) of 0.75 per 90. He averages 3.93 shots per 90, and at 34.1km/h, is PSV's fastest current player based on recent Champions League measurements. He won possession in the final third more often than 90% of other Eredivisie strikers last season.
Averaging just 3.12 duels won per 90 last season, Pepi isn't the combative presence Barry is, but that hasn't affected his numbers for headed shots, averaging in the top 20% of players in his position with 1.14 efforts with his head per 90. A knee injury in the 2024/25 season saw Pepi miss 28 games for PSV and the United States, while a new injury has already seen him miss five games of the new season. This record might encourage caution, but at a relatively low price point, a deal could no doubt be agreed that would suit all parties.
Orri Oskarsson (Real Sociedad) - MV: €20m (£16.7m)
Like Pepi, Real Sociedad's Orri Oskarsson stands at 6'1", but unlike the American, this 22-year-old striker's status in his national team is undisputed. Already captain of Iceland, Oskarsson joined the Basque side from FC Copenhagen in the summer of 2024, and has since scored 21 goals from 73 appearances.
In the 2025/26 season, Oskarsson scored nine times from 20 LaLiga appearances, while he is already off the mark with three from just five starts in Spain's top flight this season. Taking 3.78 shots per 90, Oskarsson is currently averaging 0.61 xGOT from 0.82 xG per 90, but last season, he plundered 0.98 goals per 90 from just 0.66 xG. Averaging 2.06 shots on target per 90 in the league last season, Oskarsson was hitting the target more regularly than 90% of other LaLiga strikers.
According to some reporters, Everton are one of several Premier League sides tracking Oskarsson ahead of a possible January transfer, while his current contract expires in 2028. That, combined with his affordable market value, could make Oskarsson a relatively low-risk option for Everton.
Who should Everton target?
Just based on the numbers, and the level of consistency in front of goal, one target stands out above all others: Ricardo Pepi. While Christian Kofane may have the highest ceiling (but a potentially prohibitive price tag) and Orri Oskarsson may have the highest potential as a pure finisher, Pepi combines a stellar goalscoring record with extensive top-level experience, including at the World Cup this summer.
Any of these three strikers would represent a signing with significant room to grow and develop, potentially earning Everton a higher transfer fee further down the line if they were to ultimately move on. There are, of course, other options. Richarlison is the romantic choice, having been excluded from Tottenham's squad for the new season, but there might have been more movement around that particular transfer if the Brazilian was as keen to make a return to Everton as supporters would be to see him in blue and white once again.
Amine Gouiri of Marseille is another who has been linked with Everton, while recent rumours around Dinamo Zagreb's Dion Beljo are particularly exciting in the light of his 12 goals and five assists from the first nine games of the current season. Beljo, a 6'5" striker who wins 80.6% of his aerial duels, could well be worth keeping an eye on despite being something of a late bloomer at 24.
In truth, having anyone to compete with Barry would be better than no one - but these players and all of the others covered might just be the strikers that could genuinely improve Everton in the January transfer window.
