Everton favourites to sign Moussa Dembélé, why it’d be a coup

According to several online bookmakers, Ronald Koeman and Everton are favourites to sign Celtic star Moussa Dembélé, with the likes of Betfred, Paddy Power and Betfair offering just 2/1 odds for him to be an Everton play after the summer window closes.

The Premier League club are favoured over European heavyweights AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea to sign the former Fulham youngster.

If Koeman can convince Dembélé to leave Scotland, the 20-year old Frenchman could help replace star striker Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian, expected to sign with Chelsea, is sure to leave behind a big hole in the Everton squad after scoring 87 goals in 166 total appearances in his four-year Merseyside career. Filling the hole left by a superstar’s departure is never easy, but Dembele would surely add some firepower to Koeman’s squad.

The French U21 international moved to Celtic last summer on a free transfer after scoring 15 Championship goals for Fulham the season prior and became a key figure in the Scottish club’s domestic treble. Dembélé scored 32 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions, including three hat-tricks and a double against Manchester City in the Champions League.

Dembélé’s previous experience in English football should allow him to make an easy transition to consistently playing in the Premier League. Koeman is going to need to add goals to replace Lukaku and Dembélé would ease the burden on the rest of the team.

The French striker is one of Europe’s most sought after youngsters, so the fact AC Milan and Dortmund are also listed as potential suitors by the bookmakers is no surprise.. The 20-year old’s price tag in January was rumoured to be £30million, which is sure to have risen with the season’s completion, likely overtaking Jordan Pickford as the club’s most expensive signing in history.

Is he worth it despite only playing only two career Premier League games?

Probably not, but Pickford wasn’t worth his price either. That’s the price you pay in the Premier League and as long as Dembélé doesn’t leave his goal-scoring prowess back in Scotland, it should all be worth it in the end.