Everton Boss Koeman Turns to Countryman Bas Dost as Striker to Turn Toffees Fortunes Around

Sporting CP striker Bas Dost is being courted by Ronald Koeman, as the Dutch manager looks to add more goals to his Everton side.

Following the summer sale of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United for £75million, Koeman decided to beef up his squad, rather than sign a direct replacement for the Belgium. 

Wayne Rooney, Sandro Ramirez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have been tasked to replace the 25 Premier League goals Lukaku supplied last year, yet their collective total of five goals in all competitions so far suggests more firepower is needed. 

According to reports from ESPN, that's where 28-year-old Dost comes in and Koeman sent scouting director Steve Walsh to watch the Dutch striker in the Champions League against Barcelona.

Dost has spent the last two years of his career in Portugal with Sporting CP, where the goals have continuously flowed. Since a €10m transfer from Wolfsburg in 2016, the Netherlands international has scored a staggering 38 goals in as many appearances for the Portuguese side.

He also scored freely in Germany and in his homeland with Heerenveen and Heracles, and it is this type of proficiency that Koeman is interested in, as Everton sit precariously in 16th in the Premier League table.