Everton and Tottenham chasing after Turkish striker

There appears to be growing Premier League interest in Turkish striker Cenk Tosun, currently plying his trade for Besiktas in Turkey’s Super Lig. After breaking onto the scene last season with 24 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions, he’s off to a flying start this year with a further 8 goals scored in 13 games.

The 26-year-old usually plays the spearhead in a 4-2-3-1 formation, is equally adept with both feet and is strong in the air, and has pace to burn - all the qualities that Everton could desperately do with this miserable season.

After scoring thrice in the Europa League for Besiktas last season, he’s continued his European goalscoring form this season in the Champions League, his three goals in three games have fired the Turkish side to the top of Group G with a 100% record at the halfway point of the group stage.

Tosun was born in Germany and is a product of the Eintracht Frankfurt youth system, impressing at an early age and moving to Turkey with Gaziantepspor before he turned twenty. He caught the eye of Besiktas and transferred for €6m before the 2014-15 season.

(The radar shown above was for the 2016-17 season, until the end of April)

Over the summer he appeared to be close to a switch to Crystal Palace, with Newcastle United also interested in the Turk who had 14 goals in 29 youth internationals for Germany, before he chose to represent Turkey. He scored an additional 7 goals in 14 youth internationals for the Turkish side, and then 8 goals in 23 senior internationals.

Turkish media source Haber Turk reported that Tottenham and Everton have been in contact with the player’s representatives, with Tosun himself expressing an interest in playing in England. Besiktas are rumoured to have put a pricetag of €26m on the player, though that seems quite reasonable for a player with his eye for goal in this inflated transfer market.

Everton entered the season with youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin, outcast Oumar Niasse and prodigal son Wayne Rooney as the only recognized strikers on the squad, and the Blues have struggled mightily in all areas of the pitch, but mostly in front of goal since the departure of Romelu Lukaku.

Spurs back-up striker Fernando Llorente has been mostly anonymous since he joined from Swansea City over the summer, not even registering a single shot in his five substitute appearances so far. Mauricio Pocchetino has preferred to use Son Heung-Min when Harry Kane is unavailable, and would like to bolster his side with Tosun. He has featured for the Turkish side already in the Champions League and would thus be unavailable to play in the premier European competition for Spurs, but they would gladly use him in the Premier League to give Kane a break.

If Tosun keeps up his scoring form, there will be quite a few clubs outside the Premier League interested in signing him, and Everton would do well to negotiate terms with both club and player before matters got out of hand.