On the heels of their sale of Nikica Jelavic to Hull City, reports are coming through that indicate they’ve found his replacement.
According to Sky Sports, AS Monaco striker Lacina Traore will have a medical at Goodison Park ahead of a transfer.
The deal is likely a loan, with Traore having just signed for the French squad from Anzhi Makhachkala for €10 million ($13.5 million) a mere 15 days ago.
Traore was another victim of the Russian club’s massive firesale, and the towering 23-year-old has yet to appear for his new French club.
With Monaco already set at the striker position with Falcao and Emmanuel Riviere performing well, Monaco have decided to flip the Cote d’Ivoire international to the Premier League.
The towering African would serve as cover for Romelu Lukaku, as the striker options behind the big Belgian are thin at the least. After Roberto Martinez offloaded Jelavic, it left just the injured Aroune Kone and untested young Greek Apostilos Vellios behind Lukaku.
Traore is listed at 6'8", and a move to Everton would make him the tallest outfield player in the Premier League.
Despite his underwhelming season, Traore is a proven goalscorer and would be a very competent backup for Lukaku. He spent two successful years in the Russian Premier Liga, scoring 18 goals with Kuban Krasnodar in the 2011/2012 season. He then went to Anzhi for €18 million ($24.4 million), and he delivered, bagging 12 more in 24 appearances.
His tumultuous season can largely be validated by the completely unstable conditions surrounding Anzhi, as the political and financial troubles of owner Suleyman Kerimov have forced the club to offload gobs of talent.