Mauro Icardi on Everton’s radar as club scrambles for striker fix

**LIVERPOOL, England** — Everton FC is conducting an internal evaluation of the free-agent market to address a critical shortage of senior central forwards, with former Argentina international Mauro Icardi emerging as an option under review by club hierarchy.

Under Premier League squad registration guidelines, clubs are permitted to sign unattached players outside the formal transfer window, provided space remains available within the mandatory 25-man squad list. Because Icardi recently terminated his contract with Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray, he is eligible to complete a transaction immediately without waiting for the secondary transfer window to open.

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The Rosario-born forward began his senior career in Italy with Sampdoria before joining Inter Milan in 2013. During his six-year tenure at San Siro, Icardi was named club captain and twice finished as Serie A’s joint-top scorer, winning the Capocannoniere award in the 2014–15 and 2017–18 seasons.

While representatives for the 33-year-old striker have made his availability known to Everton, discussions remain in an exploratory phase. No formal contract offer has been tendered, and advanced negotiations between the two parties have not commenced. The Merseyside club has been left with severe positional imbalance following the conclusion of the primary transfer window.

Following the departure of Portuguese forward Beto and an unsuccessful pursuit of Monaco striker Folarin Balogun, Everton possesses only one fit, recognized senior centre-forward on its roster in 22-year-old Thierno Barry.

Icardi subsequently transferred to French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, initially on loan before completing a permanent deal valued at approximately €50 million. In 2022, Icardi moved to Galatasaray, where he recorded 77 goals in 134 appearances across all competitions while helping the Istanbul club secure back-to-back Süper Lig championships.

Despite Icardi’s scoring record, Everton’s recruitment department and manager David Moyes are weighing several practical complications before determining whether to proceed with an official approach. Key considerations include the financial structure of any potential deal, particularly given Icardi’s historical salary expectations, as well as his recent medical history and lack of previous experience in the Premier League.

Over his full professional career, Icardi has registered 250 goals in 478 senior matches. The physical demands and tactical pacing of English football represent a key variable for a forward who turned 33 this year and would be joining mid-season without a traditional preseason preparation period.

Moyes, who previously managed Everton from 2002 to 2013 before returning to lead the football operations, faces immediate operational pressure to stabilize the team’s attack. The club’s reliance on a single senior striker leaves little room for rotation or injury management during a crucial stretch of domestic fixtures, as Everton continues its final era at Goodison Park ahead of its planned relocation to a new venue at Bramley-Moore Dock, where legal firm Hill Dickinson stands among the club’s major commercial partners.

Everton officials are continuing to monitor alternative options within the unattached player pool while determining whether a short-term arrangement for Icardi aligns with both the club’s immediate performance requirements and its current financial parameters.