Everton now plotting summer swoop for "infectious" £80k-p/w ace, imagine him & Gordon - opinion

Everton struggled this season following a tight relegation battle in the Premier League, and Frank Lampard must improve the squad if they want to do better next time around.

To that effect, a new Goodison Park transfer target has now been revealed.

According to 90min, the Toffees have joined the race to sign former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard, who is now a free agent.

As per the report, the attacking midfielder is a potential target for not just Everton – his former Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho could try to tempt him with a move to Roma, or he could rejoin his former loan club West Ham United this summer.

Everton are desperate to add new attacking threats to enhance their goalscoring opportunities following a lack of goals last season, which ultimately led to the Toffees struggling in the bottom half of the table, and signing Lingard could be a great solution to that problem ahead of next season.

The Merseyside club conceded 23 goals more than they scored in the 2021/22 Premier League, with Richarlison leading the way with 11 in all competitions. However, they will need to find a few more reliable scoring outlets if they want to break back into the top half next term.

Lingard has never been a consistent starter at Old Trafford, but during his time at his boyhood club, he has scored 35 goals and delivered 21 assists in 232 first-team appearances, with one goal contribution every 224 minutes. However, he has proven elsewhere that regular game-time enables him to offer a consistent attacking threat.

The £80k-p/w star, who was dubbed “infectious” by Manchester United legend Andy Cole, enjoyed a successful six-month loan spell at West Ham last year. He displayed his talents effectively in east London, scoring nine