Everton ramp up search to replace Lukaku

It seems our long Romelu Lukaku national nightmare is nearing its merciful end, and so Ronald Koeman and Steve Walsh will be jetting all over the continent to find players who can approximate the Belgian’s contributions.

There’s a strong possibility that Everton will try to replace Lukaku with more than one player - indeed, Koeman has spoken about wanting to spread the goals around the roster - and so, the latest report takes us to an accomplished veteran of the Bundesliga, Werder Bremen’s Max Kruse.

Kruse is a little older at 29, but would provide a sense of reliability that younger transfer targets might not. He has 14 caps for the German national team, and notched 15 goals and 7 assists in 23 Bundesliga appearances this season.

In addition to goals, the German forward is strong creatively, and can even drop deeper upfield, playing a secondary striker role. For a team that was creatively starved last season and overly reliant on their fullbacks to provide chances, there’s no doubt Everton could use the boost there.

Valued at around €8 million, Kruse could be just the kind of deal Everton are looking for this summer, and might allow them to spend more on a forward like Kelechi Iheanacho or Kasper Dolberg.

Either way, be prepared for a flood of fresh rumors in the coming days, as Lukaku to Chelsea nears its completion.