Mohammed Kudus in action for Nordsjaelland (Getty Images)
According to a report from France Football via Sport Witness (h/t Liverpool Echo), Everton are interested in signing Ghanaian wonderkid Mohammed Kudus in the summer. The Toffees though will face competition from the likes of Newcastle United and French club Rennes.
The 19-year-old Kudus spent his formative years at the Right to Dream Academy back in Ghana, before Danish outfit Nordsjaelland snapped him up in January 2018.
Having spent the first six months with the reserves, he became a first-team member from the onset of 2018/19 campaign. Till date, Kudus, who can play as a striker as well as a central midfielder, has made 51 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals and setting up 3.
Everton, meanwhile, are going through turbulent times. Having started the 2019/20 campaign poorly, the Toffees sacked Marco Silva towards the end of the last year. Things looked promising under new boss Carlo Ancelotti, but the results were once again regressing prior to the season getting suspended.
At the moment, Everton are 12th in the Premier League table, with 37 points from 29 matches. Judging by their poor performances this season, it goes without saying that the squad needs bolstering when the transfer window opens.
There are a number of positions that Ancelotti should look to strengthen this summer. Starting from the centre-back department, where the Toffees are light in options, to the central midfield area, where the likes of Fabian Delph, Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies have all struggled for consistency.
Not to forget the attacking department where the only positives have been Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. Both Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse were loaned out earlier in the season, indicating that they are not part of the plans. Whereas Moise Kean has struggled to make the desired impact since his big-money arrival from Juventus.
And signing someone like Kudus in the summer would help Everton a great deal. The 19-year-old has managed 9 goals in 19 league appearances for Nordsjaelland this season. Four of his goals have come in nine games as a centre-forward, while the remaining five have come from the central midfield position, providing evidence of his effectiveness from both positions.
The youngster broke into the Ghanaian national team on the back of his impressive performances at club level. And on his debut against South Africa, in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, the 19-year-old found the back of the net.
Furthermore, given his age, he would only get better under the guidance of an accomplished coach like Carlo Ancelotti.
Everton are in need of reinforcements across all areas of the pitch ahead of next season. And signing Kudus would help them add depth to key positions – the centre-forward department and central midfield. The 19-year-old has done well in both the positions in his burgeoning career so far. He would provide manager Ancelotti with multiple options as a result.
