Everton have reportedly made a transfer bid to sign FC Lorient winger Dango Ouattara.
With 42 senior appearances for the French club under his belt, the 20-year-old has scored six goals and supplied seven assists.
The winger is set to enter the final year of his contract at Lorient at the end of the current season and but could now be facing an early exit from the club with a move to the Premier League potentially in the pipeline.
According to a recent report from Foot Mercato, the Merseyside club have made a bid of €20m (£17m) to sign the winger and are currently in negotiations with Lorient over a potential transfer deal.
This season has seen the youngster make a name for himself in France and become a vital player for his club as he has played in all but one of their 17 Ligue 1 games, scoring five goals and delivering five assists in the process.
Having made seven appearances each playing on the left-wing and the right-wing, this showcases the versatility he has while still being an attacking threat.
To highlight that attacking threat, Ouattara has the highest average of shots per game (2.9) at the club as well as the second-highest average of key passes (1.2) and dribbles per game (1.3) out of players currently at Lorient.
Do Everton need to sign a winger this month?
Yes
No
His overall performances have earned the Burkina Faso attacker an impressive season rating of 7.36/10 from WhoScored, making him the eighth-highest rated player in the division.
Described by Lorient manager Regis Le Bris as a player that “has what it takes to reach the highest level” in football, it’s easy to see why Everton are keen to secure a deal for him this month. As well as this, the Leicester Mercury also described him as the surprise package in Ligue 1 this season.
Taking into account how the Toffees’ current wingers Anthony Gordon (3), Demarai Gray (3) and Dwight McNeil (2) have all scored fewer league goals than Ouattara this season, it makes sense for them to look to bring in a player like the Lorient star that can offer some extra goals to the team as they look to avoid getting relegated to the Championship.