Everton have reportedly fallen behind in the race to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Seven-horse race

It was reported earlier this month that the Goodison Park outfit are involved in a massive seven-horse race to try and sign Brereton Diaz, who is out of contract at Ewood Park in the summer.

Leeds United, Almeria, Valencia, Celta Vigo, Sevilla and AC Milan are also thought to be interested in his signature, in what looks to be a major saga come January.

The Latest: Sevilla in pole

As per Football Insider, Fulham are also in the race for Diaz, but Sevilla are currently in 'pole position'.

Blackburn are ready to listen to offers for him in January, as they do not want to risk losing the Chile international on a free transfer next summer.

The Toffees had a bid rejected for Diaz this summer, but he is believed to be 'open' to playing abroad, and in Spain in particular.

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The Verdict: Unlikely

Given the profile of some of the teams interested in Diaz, including Sevilla, who are playing in the UEFA Champions League, it seems unlikely that Frank Lampard's side will be able to sign him at this stage.

Lauded as a ‘beast’ by former Rovers manager Tony Mowbray, the six-foot-one machine scored an impressive 22 goals in the Championship last term, and already has eight to his name in this season (Transfermarkt), including a sumptuous curling effort from outside of the box in midweek against Sunderland, which Black Cats podcasters Roker Report described as an 'absolute screamer'.

Nonetheless, Brereton Diaz is clearly ready to make the step up to the Premier League, but the 23-year-old may have loftier ambitions in terms of playing European football.