Everton express interest in Nigeria-eligible Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee

ENGLISH Premier league giants Everton have signified an interest in signing Super Eagles target Joshua Zirkzee from Bayern Munich during the forthcoming summer transfer window as part of a drive to bolster its forward line.

Zirkzee, 20, who spent the second half of last season playing on loan to Italian side Parma, was born in Schiedam to a Nigerian mother and a Dutch father. Already capped for the Netherlands  youth team, the striker had a torrid time during the second half of the season as he suffered a ligament injury that saw him miss the last 10 matches of the campaign.

Appearing in four matches off the bench at the beginning of the season, Zirkzee joined Parma on loan during the winter transfer market with an option of the club buying him for €15m. Transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, said Zirkzee is 100% coming back to Bayern after his loan spell at Parma, adding that Everton have been interested in signing him since last January.

On the road to recovery, the good news is that Zirkzee does not require surgery and Bayern Munich will decide his future during the pre-season. He trained with Everton before joining Bayern Munich's youth team in the summer of 2017, so is familiar with the club and they know him too.

Nigerian Football Federation officials and Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr are keeping tabs on the 20-year-old with a view to a call-up in the future. Considered to have great potential, on December 11 2019, Zirkzee made his debut for the Bayern Munich senior team against Tottenham Hotspur in the final group stage match of the Uefa Champions League.