Ipswich Town should look to hijack Rangers transfer swoop for Everton striker | OneFootball

Ipswich Town should look to swoop in for Youssef Chermiti amid Rangers interest.

Ipswich Town should look to beat Rangers to the signing of Everton striker Youssef Chermiti amid interest from the Scottish club.

Following a 2-0 victory over Mansfield Town in the League Cup on Wednesday night, Everton manager David Moyes confirmed that Portuguese striker Chermiti is likely to depart the club before the end of the transfer window.

The 21-year-old was left out of the squad that triumphed over Mansfield, with Moyes preferring both Thierno Barry and Beto over Chermiti.

Barry was signed this summer from Spanish club Villarreal for a fee of £27 million after scoring 11 times and providing four assists in 35 La Liga games last season, and will provide competition in the striking department with Beto.

It has been reported by the Daily Mail that Rangers are in talks with Everton over a possible loan deal for Chermiti, who was signed in a deal worth £15 million by the Toffees two years ago.

The Gers have begun life under new boss Russell Martin abysmally, to say the least, drawing each of their three opening league matches so far to Motherwell, Dundee and St. Mirren.

On top of that, they suffered a humiliating 6-0 defeat away to Belgian side Club Brugge on Wednesday night, losing the tie 9-1 on aggregate and dropping out of Champions League qualification.

Martin is already under immense pressure just weeks into his tenure, and has reportedly turned to Everton's Chermiti to bolster their attacking options before the deadline.

Ipswich Town should challenge Rangers to the loan signing of Youssef Chermiti

With the news of Rangers' interest in the Portuguese forward, Championship side Ipswich Town should be on high alert and look to snatch a deal for the forward ahead of the Scottish side.

George Hirst and Ali-Al Hamadi are currently the club's only first-team strikers, with the latter having recently suffered a calf injury, with a return date not yet known for the Iraqi international.

This leaves just Hirst as the club's only striker, and although the signing of Chuba Akpom means they have cover, manager Kieran McKenna likely views Akpom as a number ten to offer competition for Sammie Szmodics.

McKenna has notably favoured mobile strikers with a larger frame, having signed the likes of Liam Delap and Kieffer Moore in recent seasons to facilitate up top, with Chermiti, who stands at six-foot-four-inches tall, certainly fitting the criteria.

A loan deal would offer Ipswich a low-risk short-term competition up top as they look to fire themselves back to the Premier League with immediate promotion following last season's disappointing relegation.

A loan move to Ipswich Town could help Youssef Chermiti to reignite his career

In two years as an Evertonian, Chermiti has struggled to make any sort of impact in the first-team squad, having played just 24 times without scoring in all competitions for the Toffees since joining, with only four appearances and 42 minutes in all competitions last season.

With Beto and Barry Moyes' first two options in the lone striking position, this leaves Chermiti out in the cold yet again, and a move away from the club, likely a loan deal, looks certain to happen before the window closes.

The Portuguese Under-21 international still has two years on his current deal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and if he were to impress on a loan move, he could yet earn himself a new deal and compete with Beto and Barry for a starting berth at Everton.

A loan switch to McKenna's Ipswich could prove to be the perfect move for Chermiti, who will no doubt earn more game time in the Championship and offer fierce competition to both Hirst and Al-Hamadi, once the latter returns to fitness.