Friedkin not messing around: Everton join £80m race to sign 24-goal striker

 In pursuit of making an instant statement this summer, The Friedkin Group have now reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive striker for Everton who could be worth as much as £80m.

Friedkin plotting big Everton summer

A fresh attacking lead certainly seems on the agenda for the Toffees this summer, who have already been linked with a shock move the in-demand Liam Delap. The Ipswich Town star is set for Premier League relegation but could earn top-flight redemption following an excellent individual campaign.

That said, he's not the only one on Everton's reported radar. Friedkin have also reportedly set their sights on Liverpool's Ben Doak in what would certainly steal plenty of headlines.

The Anfield academy star impressed on loan at Middlesbrough this season before injury disrupted an otherwise successful spell. That form may still not be enough to earn a place in Arne Slot's first-team, however, potentially resulting in a move across Stanley Park.

Everton boss David Moyes recently had his say on what could be a busy summer at the club, telling reporters: "There’s going to be a change, and all those bits are still being pieced together at the minute.

"I’ve had one short conversation with Angus, that was all because he’s got his job to do at Leeds. And I don’t want to disrupt him whilst he’s working there. But we’re getting things together, we’re starting to plan, but obviously again the league position and league you’re in is all important.”

Just how much Friedkin will spend this summer remains to be seen, but if they want to take the Toffees back into the top half then they'll certainly need to make a statement or two. And that could yet include the arrival of a big-money striker in the coming months.

Everton join £80m Pavlidis race

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin set to depart as a free agent this summer, those at Goodison Park have reportedly set their sights on an impressive replacement. According to The Boot Room, Everton have now joined the race to sign Vangelis Pavlidis from Benfica this summer alongside the likes of Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

The deal won't come cheap though, given that the forward reportedly has a release clause worth as much as £80m in his current Benfica contract. Such a deal at such a price would certainly make the intended statement for Friedkin, especially if they fend off interest from their rivals, but whether they have that budget to spend is the big question.

It should come as no surprise that Benfica boss Bruno Lage - formerly of Wolverhampton Wanderers - described Pavlidis as "important" earlier this month. After all, the big-money forward has scored 24 goals in all competitions and assisted another 10.

Lage told reporters following the forward's hat-trick in a 4-1 thrashing of Porto: “He has done a lot of important work for us. It is important to have men who score a lot of goals, but in the end, this was mainly a real team effort."