Everton eye a Dinamo Zagreb striker with 17 goals in 17 games, but Dinamo have already said no to €20m

Everton are weighing up a January move for Dinamo Zagreb striker Dion Drena Beljo, a 6ft 5in Croatia international with 17 goals and eight assists in 17 games this season.

Croatian outlet Večernji List, as relayed by Sport Witness, says the Toffees could try to test Dinamo’s resolve as early as January. The catch? The reigning Croatian champions turned down €20m bids from two unnamed clubs in the summer, and Newcastle United were also named in the mix earlier this month.

Dinamo are reported to value the 24-year-old at €25m. He is tied down until 2030, while Transfermarkt rate him at €15m, so the Croatian side are in no rush to sell.

Why Everton are looking at Dion Drena Beljo

The short answer is the summer. David Moyes tried to sign Folarin Balogun, but that £40m deal fell apart in the final hours of deadline day, which was a big part of why Everton’s transfer window ended in complete chaos.

That left Moyes short up front, and there is a pressing need for another number nine to help Thierno Barry. A second striker has been on the January wish list ever since, and Beljo is not the only forward linked, with the club also said to be eyeing a January move for Marcus Rashford.

Only five scorers in eight games

The numbers explain the urgency. Everton have scored eight goals in eight Premier League matches. Barry leads the way with three, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has two, and James Tarkowski, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Tyrique George have one each.

That is five scorers in total. Add back-to-back defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal, and it’s no surprise Moyes wants another body in the box. The Toffees host Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night, so the two clubs chasing Beljo meet before anyone gets near a January bid.

Dion Drena Beljo’s goals record at Dinamo Zagreb

Born in Zagreb on 3 January 2002, Beljo came home when Dinamo signed him from FC Augsburg in July 2025. He hit 38 goals and six assists in 48 matches in his first season, and he has gone up another gear this term. Across his career he has now passed a century of goals.

Dinamo boss Mario Kovacevic has no doubts about what he has. After one of Beljo’s goals earlier this season, he said: “Beljo is a proper centre-forward and that doesn’t surprise me. He scores many beautiful goals in training too.”

What would Beljo bring to Everton?

Croatian football expert Callum Boyle, speaking to Everton News, says the striker’s game is built on hold-up play and movement. “He likes to bring the ball down with his back to goal, laying it off to the attacking midfielders and then moving into the box,” Boyle said.

He added that, despite his height, Beljo can turn and break at speed to get in one-on-one. “The best compliment I can give him is that he is rarely static and is a nightmare for defenders in the box.”

There are flaws. Boyle admits the big man “can sometimes be clunky on the ball” and is not the quickest, while a Tactical Football Analysis scout report by Rohit Rajeev flagged his acceleration over short distances and a first touch it called technically solid but somewhat inconsistent.

The Augsburg question

This is the bit that will worry some Evertonians. Beljo has tried a top-five league before and it didn’t work: five goals in 45 games for Augsburg before the loan to Rapid Vienna got him firing again.

Boyle thinks that move simply came too early. “Maybe not a 20-goal-a-season every season, but he would be a great focal point and with the likes of Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish creating chances for him, there’s no reason why he couldn’t adapt,” he said.

How much would Dion Drena Beljo cost Everton?

Boyle calls Beljo “Dinamo’s prized asset”, relied on in Europe as well as at home, and reckons the asking price could be “anywhere north of £20-25m”. That fits with the €25m valuation doing the rounds in Croatia.

There might be a shortcut, too. Beljo is represented by Agency Roof, whose client list also includes Thierno Barry and Tyler Dibling, so Everton already have a working relationship with the people who handle his career.

Verdict: Beljo is worth a January bid for Everton

For £20m-odd, a 24-year-old with 17 goals in 17 games who already knows Barry’s agents looks like the kind of deal Everton should be doing. He isn’t Balogun, and the Augsburg spell is a fair worry, but Moyes needs a focal point now, not next summer.

The danger is Newcastle. If they move first with a serious offer, Everton could be left hunting for a striker again in the final hours of a window. I’d test Dinamo’s resolve early, exactly as Večernji List suggests.