Everton sent club staff to watch Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque in action against Liverpool over the weekend, with the Frenchman's future currently up in the air.
The Lowdown: Richarlison replacement needed
The Toffees are about to embark on a new Premier League season and whole new era in what is Frank Lampard's first full campaign in charge, as they look to improve significantly after their near-relegation in 2021/22.
Lampard has lost one of his star players in Richarlison to Tottenham however, leaving a gaping void in his attack that needs to be filled fairly swiftly.
Dwight McNeil arrived last week but is of course more of a creator than goalscorer, and now it appears the Blues have identified someone to provide the latter.
The Latest: Toffees watch Ajorque in action
According to Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol, the Toffees had representatives at Anfield to watch Ajorque in action on Sunday evening, but they aren't alone in their interest:
"A player who we could be hearing a lot more from in the next couple of weeks played against Liverpool for Starsbourg at the weekend.
"He's a striker called Ludovic Ajorque, 6ft 6in striker with a very good scoring record for them, is available for £18m.
"I'm told the clubs that watched him yesterday were Wolves, Everton, Leicester, West Ham, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Newcastle. He's someone we might be hearing a lot more from."
The Verdict: Good summer addition
Ajorque may be something of an unknown to some fans but he has matured in a key figure at Strasbourg, proving to be an excellent 6 foot 6 target man with an eye for goal.
The 28-year-old, dubbed a 'beast physically' by journalist Alessandro Schiavone, has scored 28 goals in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons, as well as grabbing 12 assists in that time, and this level of productivity would be huge for Everton.
Richarlison was such a reliable source of end product - he scored 53 times in 152 appearances in total - so his absence is a clear blow, but bringing in Ajorque and allowing him to dovetail with Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be ideal.