According to the Sun. Everton are interested in signing RB Leipzig forward Jean-Kevin Augustin in January but the Bundesliga outfit have slapped a daunting £38million price tag on the 21-year-old Frenchman.
RB Leipzig have a long-term interest in Everton winger Ademola Lookman after the youngster impressed on loan last season and a swap deal with a little bit of cash adjustment might be on the cards in January. (h/t The Sun)
A product of PSG’s youth system, Jean-Kevin Augustin managed only 31 appearances for his boyhood club over the course of 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons before making a move to RB Leipzig for more regular minutes.
His first season in the Bundesliga was a huge success as he racked up a tally of 9 goals and 5 assists from 25 appearances in the league. Augustin has hit the ground running this season as well, scoring 3 goals in the Bundesliga to go with another couple in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
The Frenchman has not only reduced Timo Werner’s goalscoring burden but has also added another dimension to Leipzig’s attack alongside Emil Forsberg.
Standing at 5ft. 9 inches, Augustin is a fast, agile and powerful striker who has a good eye for goal and is capable of outpacing his defensive counterparts with his lightning speed. A tactically versatile attacker, the 21-year-old has been used both as a centre-forward and as a wide-forward down the right.
Augustin has the ability to cause problems for the opposition’s defence with his pace and he always seems to have that trickery up his sleeve to outsmart the defenders. He has the awareness and the instincts to lose his marker in the final third and can create that extra yard of space for himself with sharp turns.
He has a decent first-touch and can also create chances for his teammates with incisive passes, deft touches and subtle flick-ons. A powerful distance-shooter, Augustin is never afraid to put his put through the ball and always keeps the goalkeeper on his toes.
To put things into perspective, someone like Jean-Kevin Augustin definitely fits the bill at Goodison Park. Everton is one of the best clubs for youngsters to develop and the Frenchman can fit straight into Marco Silva’s first-team.
Cenk Tosun has had a torrid season so far and the Turk has found it difficult to acclimatise to Silva’s philosophy. In other words, he is too stationary and immobile a striker to thrive in the manager’s aesthetic free-flowing style of football. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has shown plenty of promise but he is hardly the finished product that Everton can rely upon to deliver the goals each and every week.
Apart from being a like-for-like replacement for Tosun, Augustin can also provide cover and competition for the misfiring Theo Walcott if Silva prefers to continue with Richarlison as the spearhead of the attack. And a swap deal with Ademola Lookman going the other way should be a win-win situation for all parties involved as the youngster has found regular minutes hard to come by.
That said, Everton and Leipzig should complete this swap deal in January as it might prove to be beneficial for all parties involved.