Everton make Raul Jimenez bid worth £27.5million… but Benfica want a whopping £46m for target man

EVERTON have reportedly made a £27.5million bid for Benfica striker Raul Jimenez.

But the Portuguese giants are apparently holding out for a whopping £46m instead.

According to Record, Jimenez has emerged as a key target for Toffees boss Ronald Koeman.

The Dutchman has made it clear he wants more attacking power at Goodison Park before the transfer window shuts.

And after seeing Nikola Kalinic leave Fiorentina for AC Milan, Koeman is now after Jimenez.

The former Atletico Madrid flop scored 11 goals in all competitions last season and has made a name for himself as a fine target man.

Everton lack a real presence in the air after cashing in on Romelu Lukaku.

And landing Jimenez would also bring the best out of club-record buy Gylfi Sigurdsson, who is an expert in picking out the perfect ball for a powerful attacker to latch on to.

Whether the Toffees return with an improved offer remains to be seen though.

Benfica received a similar bid from a Chinese club, and despite Jimenez rejecting the offer, club chiefs remain adamant he will only leave for that price.

There is also interest from Monaco, who could soon have cash to spend if Kylian Mbappe ends up joining Paris Saint-Germain.

But with Everton already signalling their intent to challenge the Premier League’s elite with a serious spending spree, it seems unlikely Koeman would be denied the final piece of his Merseyside jigsaw.