Everton In Pole Position To Sign 6ft 2in Striker: Smart Recruitment Or Getting Played By A Clever Agent? | OneFootball

David Moyes is apparently very keen for a 19-year-old Cameroonian who is already making the Bundesliga look small.

David Schill of the Daily Arsenal broke the news on 9 July 2026. Everton are currently in pole position to secure Bayer Leverkusen’s teenage striker Christian Kofane this summer. According to Kofane’s agent, Eric Depolo, Moyes “loves” the kid. The talks, originally exposed by Schill, focused heavily on the club’s long-term blueprint for the future. Depolo called it “fantastic.”

Everton frontrunners to sign Bayer Leverkusen striker

Then came the visual evidence. Depolo was spotted at Finch Farm on Wednesday. That is a massive tell that negotiations are moving past the polite phone call stage. Africa Foot reports that a concrete opening offer is already on the table. Everton have somehow jumped ahead of Arsenal, Newcastle United, Barcelona, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich. It is a ridiculous queue.

Leverkusen paid a measly €5m to pluck Kofane from Spanish second-division side Albacete just last July. Now, the German club are demanding a staggering €100m. Everton’s opening offer doesn’t touch that astronomical figure, with the Toffees testing the waters closer to €40m.

Decoding the €100m teenager

Christian Kofane is a 6ft 2in presence. He wears the number 35 shirt in Germany, and his data from the 2025-26 campaign is fascinating. Across all competitions, he bagged 7 goals and provided 9 assists in 44 appearances.

Look closer at those numbers. 16 of those outings came from the bench. He is essentially delivering a goal contribution every 90 minutes. In the Bundesliga alone, he managed 5 goals and 4 assists from 29 matches, letting fly with 47 shots and winning 30 aerial duels. He is lightning quick, too, clocking a top speed of 34.85 km/h.

FotMob puts his realistic market value at €29.4m, which shows just how much his agent is trying to inflate the price tag. Kofane’s journey started at the AS Nylon academy in Cameroon before his move to Spain. Leverkusen had been tracking him for years. He has already played in the Champions League and broken into the Cameroon national setup.

Is this actually smart recruitment, or is Moyes getting played by a clever agent?

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 24: Christian Kofane of Bayer 04 Leverkusen looks on as he warms up during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Olympiacos FC at BayArena on February 24, 2026 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images)

At the right price, you can see the logic. Everton’s strike force last year was painful to watch. Thierno Barry managed just 8 Premier League goals all season. Beto looks completely out of his depth. Kofane brings raw athleticism, power in the air, and a high-pressing work rate that perfectly mirrors what Moyes expects from a modern number nine. His Champions League cameo against PSV and a brilliant assist at the Etihad against Manchester City show he can do it against the elite.

But paying anywhere near €100m for a teenager with under 30 league starts is a massive gamble. Everton have already burned through £50m this summer on Tyrique George, Merlin Röhl, and Hayden Hackney. The cash reserves are not infinite.

At €40m, the risk makes sense. At €70m, it blows up the entire budget. Folarin Balogun at Monaco and Taty Castellanos at West Ham represent safer, cheaper options with proven track records. If Leverkusen refuse to drop their ridiculous valuation, Everton need to walk away.