Everton have been installed joint favourites to sign Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe during the January transfer window, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
BetVictor priced the Merseysiders and Newcastle United at 4/1 on Monday night to land Defoe, 35, before the start of February.
The Premier League pair lead West Ham (6/1) and Stoke City (8/1) in the race for the England international, who has struggled since he quit Sunderland on a free transfer last summer to join the Cherries for a second spell.
Defoe, 35, is currently sidelined with injury but has scored just three goals in 17 matches for Eddie Howe’s side this season.
The stiker is the seventh top goalscorer in Premier League history with 161 strikes in the competition to his name across spells with Tottenham, West Ham, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth.
Freelance reporter Paul Brown, who also works for the Express, claimed on his personal Twitter account in December that Everton are likely to make a bid for Defoe at some stage in the January transfer window.
OPINION
It is difficult to see Everton signing England strike duo Defoe and Theo Walcott this month, but it is entirely feasible that the veteran is regarded as back-up by the Merseysiders if they cannot push through the capture of the Arsenal speed machine. Defoe’s best years are behind him, but he demonstrated for relegated Sunderland last season that his instinct for finding the back of the net remains fully intact. He could still do a decent job for Everton, but he would represent only a short-term fix and they are better off pushing hard for Walcott.