By Daniel Feliciano

29th Nov, 2022 | 12:12pm

Liverpool and Everton to battle for signature of Ajax sensation Mohammed Kudus in January - report

Everton and Liverpool are set to battle for the signature of Ajax and Ghana sensation Mohammed Kudus in January after his World Cup performances.

Kudus has been in brilliant form for club and country this season, scoring ten times in 23 appearances for Ajax in all competitions and hitting two goals in the first two group games at the World Cup for Ghana.

Those performances have alerted both Merseyside clubs to his services, with Dutch outlet Telegraaf (28 November) claiming that the two sides will fight for him in January.

Everton were close to signing the 20-year-old in January on loan with an option to buy, before the Eredivisie champions pulled the plug on the deal after selling Antony to Manchester United at the end of the window.

The Toffees have struggled in attack this season and his arrival would certainly boost them greatly, while Liverpool have had to deal with injuries to Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota while Roberto Firmino is entering the final six months of his deal.

Needed

Everton need to pull out all the stops to be able to get this deal done, with the lure of regular first-team football and being the key man in attack surely a great starting point.

If Kudus were to go to Anfield instead, he would become one of a number of options and would likely find himself on the bench when everyone was fit, while at Everton he’d be the first name on the teamsheet.

He’s got brilliant pace and technique, great physical attributes and a hunger to improve, while his X-factor has been decisive in games at the World Cup too.

Ajax are highly unlikely to want to let him leave, especially in mid-season, and after receiving so much money from transfers in the summer they’re not in a position where they need to sell.

But that shouldn’t stop Everton from trying to get this done considering the player showed interest in moving in the summer, and it could be a real game changer if they pull it off.

In other Everton news, James Garner has been ruled out for two months with a back injury