Everton forward to leave on loan

Multiple media sources are confirming that Everton’s unsettled forward Moise Kean will be leaving on a season-long loan to Paris St Germain. The French outfit have lost forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting to Champions League winners Bayern Munich, and contacted the Blues to take the 20-year-old on loan.

Kean joined the Blues last summer in a high profile move, but struggled to get any game time under Marco Silva. The arrival of Carlo Ancelotti was supposed to herald a reawakening for his countryman, but the youngster has continued to only get spot duty behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

In 37 appearances in all competitions, Kean has scored four goals, with two of those coming this season in the EFL Cup against lower league opposition. The striker has also fallen afoul of the authorities after purportedly hosting a party flouting COVID restrictions during the lockdown, a move that was widely chastised.

Attention will now turn to what Everton will do to replace him, with The Athletic among others suggesting that Napoli’s Fernando Llorente and Arkadiusz Milik are immediate targets having both played for Ancelotti previously. Another name they throw into the mix is AFC Bournemouth’s Josh King. All three are older than Calvert-Lewin and can provide some experience, though Milik is the closest like-for-like replacement for the in-form striker.

Kean’s agent Mino Raiola - renowned as a rabble-rouser - had been lobbying for a move for his client pretty much as soon as he landed on Merseyside, so this is really no surprise to see him leave for PSG where he is likely to have more game time. From Everton’s perspective, if Kean does come good in Paris then he returns a better player or can be sold for a mark-up on the £27.5 million spent on him.