Everton are leading the race to sign £20m-rated Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, reports The Daily Mail.
Walcott is widely expected to leave the Emirates this month after falling completely out of favour under Arsene Wenger this season.
Southampton have already confirmed their interest in re-signing Walcott but Mauricio Pellegrino’s side are on course to miss out on the 28-year-old.
Everton have already shelled out £27m on Turkey international Cenk Tosun this month and Sam Allardyce wants to bolster his offensive options further.
The Toffees may come unstuck in their pursuit of Walcott if Manchester City prise Alexis Sanchez away from Arsenal as that could leave Wenger short in attack unless replacements are brought in.
Walcott is yet to start a Premier League match this season and has been limited to just 50 minutes of playing time spread across five substitute appearances.
The former England international needs regular playing time in the league to have any chance of forcing his way back into the reckoning ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
Walcott features in the WhoScored Europa League Team of the Season after playing a direct hand in five goals in as many appearances (7.97 rating).
Moreover, only Mario Balotelli (4.8) and Mikel Oyarzabal (4.5) average more shots per game than Walcott (4.2) in UEFA’s second competition this term.
