Frank Lampard is keen to make vast improvements to his Everton squad in January but there are signs of concern in one particular race.
According to Dutch journalist Mike Verweij, the Toffees are in a hotly-contested race with Merseyside neighbours Liverpool to sign Ghanaian international Mohammed Kudus.
The 22-year-old has excelled in the World Cup with his national team while also starring for Dutch champions Ajax at club level with crucial goals in the Eredivisie and the Champions League.
His Ghana teammate Inaki Williams cannot believe that he is playing for Ajax because he thinks his talent is far superior to that of the former European Cup winners.
âI think Ajax is starting to become too little for him,â Williams said, as quoted by Voetbal International. âHopefully, he will make the jump to a big club soon.
âI would have liked him to have had a Basque relative to bring him to Bilbao, because heâs a bomb, heâs a machine. He is very complete and with his young age he can still improve a lot.â
A player who is thought to be above the level of Ajax is likely to be sought after by the biggest clubs in the continent and if they do make their own efforts, Everton will have to relinquish their grasp on the battle.
Perhaps the only chance the Toffees will get to sign the international star is if they are very quick to meet whatever asking price Ajax may put on him in the January transfer window.
Unfortunately, that price could be astronomical as the Dutch side received a huge amount of money from player sales last summer with Lisandro Martinez and Antony both joining Manchester United.
Lampard needs a new spark to light the fire at Goodison Park but these comments suggest Kudus is now beyond Evertonâs ability and that surely means he wonât join the Toffees.
