Everton enter the final day of the transfer window in the hope of strengthening the squad.

The club is close to signing attacking midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, who had a medical scheduled with the Blues on Sunday. The 22-year-old is in talks over a loan deal that, according to parent club Flamengo, is due to contain an obligation for the move to become permanent if certain performance criteria is met.

David Moyes is hopeful of further additions but, while he has stressed he believes there is a need for them, he has highlighted how the market is proving difficult to operate in. A striker is at the top of his wishlist following the injuries suffered by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti last month.

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Everton remain constrained by the club’s proximity to regulatory spending limits. This window, the first overseen by new owners The Friedkin Group (TFG), is expected to be the final one to experience a hangover of the problems caused by previous excess in the transfer market.

While Moyes is unable to fully exploit the resources TFG wish to back him with, there is money available to him and director of football Kevin Thelwell. Centre midfielders and wingers have been assessed over the past month, with talks held with Lyon over 21-year-old wide attacker Ernest Nuameh.

Other players considered by Everton have included Chelsea players Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka.

One of the biggest questions for Everton chiefs on the final day will be whether to continue to explore the termination of the loan deal with Chelsea for Broja. The striker suffered ankle ligament damage in the FA Cup third round win over Peterborough United and that deal being concluded would open up a domestic loan spot for the club. Such a move would come at a price, however, and while taking Dewsbury-Hall or Chukwuemeka could lead to a breakthrough in talks, Everton are contemplating whether to retain Broja.

With the striker market proving difficult to operate in, and hopes Broja will be back around the time of the March international break, thoughts have turned to whether it would be better to keep hold of him.

Those conversations have been influenced by the events at Brighton and Hove Albion last week, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Orel Mangala each suffered serious injuries. Calvert-Lewin faces an extended period on the sidelines - though Moyes said last week there was hope he could still contribute this season. Mangala, on loan from Lyon, is out for the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Everton’s forward options have been boosted by the form of Beto, who scored twice in the 4-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday. If a striker is not signed on Monday then he will be the only fit senior forward at the club until Chermiti’s expected return in four weeks. Under-21s forward Martin Sherif will likely be his understudy, though Moyes believes Iliman Ndiaye could play upfront if needed and may soon have Alcaraz as another option.

Confirming the intention was to try and acquire a forward, the Blues boss said after the Leicester win: “Ideally, yes… if I said to you, name who you think would be suitable, I would probably guarantee that we've already gone through that.

“There's either a reason we can't get him, too expensive, not for sale, it would be something. It's sometimes quite an easy question to put out. Everybody would say it, they'd say, no, it's not easy. There's probably three or four teams in the Premier League chasing centre-forwards.

“Trying to get one has not been easy. By the way, I'm trying everything we can to add to the squad before the deadline. It's OK to win a few games, you only need to lose a couple and you can find yourself struggling to get back. So we'll try.”

Other areas are also being looked at, though the blow suffered to Mangala has been softened by the return to fitness of James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam, who are both now available after recovering from injuries suffered in the October international break. Among those who have been on Everton’s radar include Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff.

The club does have an interest in adding cover for Vitalii Mykolenko at left back but, unless a particularly enticing deal emerges, other areas are considered the priority as the club attempts to ensure it enters its new waterfront stadium next season as a Premier League outfit.