Everton to battle West Ham for Arsenal striker

Everton appear to have joined the race to sign coveted Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud, with West Ham also vying for his signature.

According to the ever-reliable Paul Joyce for the Times, the Toffees are the latest club to have expressed an interest in acquiring the experienced French international this summer.

With Alexandre Lacazette looking likely to join Arsenal this summer for a club-record fee, Giroud is set to be handed even less consistent game-time. This could prompt him to seek a move away from the club in the hunt for first-team football.

Everton striker Romelu Lukaku appears to be on his way out of the club this summer, and the club will need to replace him intelligently. According to Joyce, Toffees boss Ronald Koeman views Giroud as the perfect replacement for the Belgian.

However, if Everton or West Ham are to land the ex-Montpellier striker this summer, they will need to cough up a fee of around £20m.