OPINION
Everton signed Henry Onyekuru for £7million in the summer of 2017, but the 21-year-old forward is yet to make a single appearance for the club.
Work permit issues have meant that the Toffees have had to send the Nigeria international out on loan for the past two seasons, first to Anderlecht last term before a switch to Turkey with Galatasaray this season.
Onyekuru had his season in Belgium cut short by a serious knee injury, but he has bounced back well this term for Galatasaray with four goals in 14 appearances so far.
The Nigerian’s form for the Super Lig giants has been so impressive that interest is growing in the 21-year-old from around the continent.
According to Fotospor, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are the latest club to begin monitoring Onyekuru, and they will have scouts in attendance during their Champions League clash v Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday evening.
Everton’s ongoing issues with a work permit for Onyekuru do not help their cause in this situation, and they now find themselves with a big fight on their hands to keep hold of the talented forward after this worrying report.
With clubs like Bayern showing interest, there is no reason why more will not come knocking for the 21-year-old over the course of the season, and that will be a big worry.
While Onyekuru will have technically been an Everton player for two years by the time summer rolls around, there is no reason why the attacker will fell any loyalty to the club having never played for them.
And it will be hard for him to turn down interest from a club like Bayern, should they convert their interest into a concrete bid for his services.
One trump card which Everton have on their side is Onyekuru’s publicly-stated desire to play in the Premier League, with the Nigerian having a clear path to that goal at Goodison Park.
But one thing is for sure, Everton will have a lot of work to do in keeping hold of Onyekuru in the summer, and Marcel Brands must now get to work on making sure an exit does not happen.