The genius £17.5m wonderkid Everton signing who finally see David Moyes handed a lethal striker

There’s much for the supporters to appreciate at Everton this season, with a rock solid defence playing behind a creative and exciting midfield – who, in turn, are stuck behind strikers who seem to have only the loosest notion of where the goal is. It’s a situation which needs addressing if the team are to truly thrive in their new stadium.

Thierno Barry and Beto have scored just one league goal between them this season from 5.4xG’s worth of chances, making them one of the least threatening attacking pairings in the Premier League on current form. If Everton want to ensure that they steer well clear of the relegation zone this season, then they may need to find some extra firepower over the winter.

A new rumour doing the media rounds suggests that that’s a sentiment with which the club’s recruitment team agree. The Toffees have been linked with 21-year-old striker Franculino Djú – one of the most prolific strikers in Europe right now. But who is the young forward, and will Everton really make a move in January?

Who is Everton target Franculino Djú – and why is he scoring so many goals?

A product of Benfica’s youth academy, Djú is a Guinea-Bissau international like Beto – and based on his scoring form, he could well take his colleague’s job at club level if Everton do make a move in the coming months.

Having failed to make a senior appearance in Portugal, Djú moved to Danish side FC Midtjtlland in 2023 and wasted little time proving that Benfica made a mistake letting him leave, scoring 11 league goals in each of his first two seasons. This season, however, the young forward seems to have taken a significant step forward.

In the Superliga Djú has already scored 14 goals in 14 games to go with five goals in seven European matches - and has netted at least one goal in each of his last seven appearances in all competitions, including Europa League goals against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Celtic. To say he was on song would be rather understating things.

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Djú isn’t necessarily a graceful player, but a slightly awkward natural technique belies a deft first touch, sharp feet and, most importantly, an extremely good eye for goal. His finishing is exceptionally precise and composed, while his ability to work a half-yard from his marker is now proven at a relatively high level.

He is sometimes guilty of overplaying – scarcely uncommon in young forwards - and for trying to turn defenders inside out when a simple square pass might be the smarter option, but there is little doubt that he has the skills to make the risks he takes worthwhile, and no doubt at all that he is a sufficiently lethal finisher to make up for the occasional poor decision in the final third.

With Beto and Barry struggling to score, Djú’s unquestionable efficiency in front of goal could easily make him a priority target this January. But are the stories linking Everton with a bid likely to prove true?

Will Everton sign Djú this January?

While the British media have mostly cited The Sun as the starting point for the rumour connecting Everton with Djú, the actual origin of the story appears to be Danish outlet Bold, which may offer it a little more credibility than might otherwise have been the case.

Everton aren’t the only side said to hold an interest, with Serie A side Bologna mentioned in The Sun’s reporting while Bold suggest that Inter Milan and Bayern Munich are among the teams to have sent scouts to watch him in recent weeks. Over the summer, Djú’s name also came up in connection with both Nottingham Forest and West Ham, the latter of which certainly need a striker themselves in January.

The odds of Djú leaving Midtjylland appear high, whether Everton are leading the chase or not. The Danish side’s sporting director, Kristian Bach Bak, has admitted in a media interview that he is already looking for a replacement ahead of the January transfer window and that he expects Djú to draw significant interest. He won’t be at his current club for much longer.

None of the more detailed stories have suggested a price point – a few outlets have hinted at a transfer fee of around €20m (£17.5m) although we suspect that to be guesswork – but it’s clear that Djú is in the shop window and that if Everton do want to make a bid then the only barrier to getting a deal done will be the other teams that weigh in. This is a move that could very well happen.

The only question left to answer is whether it’s a move Everton need to make. David Moyes never seems to have been convinced by Beto, but may well be sufficiently frustrated by Barry’s performances since signing in the summer to push for a new centre-forward. Unless the young Frenchman can find his form soon, it will remain the team’s greatest weakness.

Barry, who only arrived in the summer for a reported £27.5m, was not an efficient finisher at Villarreal and in the context of his work in Spain, difficult moments such as his close-range miss against Sunderland last Monday are not unexpected. His strength in La Liga lay in his ability to create space and use his physicality to generate a high volume of shooting chances, not in his finishing.

Still, neither his off-ball work nor his shooting have been overly impressive so far, and with the 23-year-old struggling for goals and Beto a candidate to be sold in the near future, it would make a great deal of sense for Everton to take a chance on another promising forward – this time one who most certainly knows how to take his chances.