Everton are contemplating keeping hold of Armando Broja beyond the transfer window.

The forward is currently unavailable and could face another six weeks on the sidelines after he suffered ankle ligament damage in the FA Cup win over Peterborough United.

Blues boss David Moyes is understood to want to bring a striker in before the deadline on Monday night. But the market is proving so tough the club is weighing up whether it might make sense to hold onto Broja in the hope he can have an impact when he is fit.

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Everton are in the midst of a striker crisis with three senior forwards dealing with long-term injuries. There is a belief the injury suffered by Broja, who is on loan from Chelsea, may not be as bad as first thought and the timescale for his recovery has now been scaled back to around a month-and-a-half.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered a serious hamstring injury in the win at Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend. While he will not need surgery and there is a belief he will be available again this season, he is expected to be out for longer than the six weeks Broja is estimated to need before he can return.

Youssef Chermiti returned to training work “on the grass” this week, Moyes said in his pre-Leicester City press conference. But the young forward could still be four weeks away from making an impression.

This leaves Moyes with Beto, who has struggled to force his way into the starting line-up since moving from Udinese 18 months ago, as the only recognised senior striker available to him. There is a belief that Iliman Ndiaye could play up front if needed, with the next in line the Under-21s striker Martin Sherif, who has made the matchday squad under Moyes.

Against this backdrop, Moyes is eager to bring in another forward and efforts to do so will continue over the weekend. There is a belief one move could spark a domino effect that changes the picture but Everton, restricted by financial regulations and competing against several other sides for forward options, are struggling to find solutions as the market currently stands.

The club does have some money to spend and is willing to do so, but key figures are reluctant to sanction a short-term move if it could have unwanted long-term consequences for the rebuild Moyes and new owners The Friedkin Group wish to oversee from the summer. And while there has been interest in players, including Lyon winger Ernest Nuameh and Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff, the club is deliberating carefully over every decision it makes during a testing period. Everton did appear on the verge of their first signing of the month on Friday night, however, with a loan move for Flamengo attacking midfielder Carlos Alcaraz developing.

When it comes to additional signings, one thing Moyes does not want to do is spend what money is available for the sake of it. Ahead of the visit of Leicester City, he said: “I would hate to think that I would have to go without bringing one in. But I'm also very wary of trying to bring someone in of the level capable of helping us. If not then, no, I'm wasting my time. We've had a dabble for names and for one reason or another we've not been able to either get them or make it happen. We've certainly been trying to do that.”

A win over Leicester would strengthen Everton’s chances of survival and could open up a significant gap to the bottom three. For Moyes, that is perhaps the most significant feature of the coming days given the buffer it would provide the club as it tries to avoid a fourth consecutive relegation battle while dealing with an injury crisis.

Asked what a ‘good’ few days would look like ahead of the game, he said on Friday afternoon: “I think three points would be crucial for us. We know the importance of it and the difference it could make - if we can continue to grow the confidence that we've got at the moment. Ultimately we've got 15 games to go something like this, plus the cup. so we're going to need more than we've got. Hopefully we can get more in to help it, but if we don't it will probably be more to do with the way our hands are tied a little bit, making it difficult to go in for the players you would really want to go for.”

The club continues to explore options, including sending Broja back to Chelsea. Chelsea would have to agree to that, however, and discussions have not yet led to a breakthrough.

Everton have looked at the possibility of taking midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or attacking midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan from the London club to smooth negotiations - with both positions identified as areas the club wished to strengthen in before the injuries suffered at Brighton. Terminating Broja’s deal is the only way the club can open up a domestic loan slot, whether that be to fill it with a Chelsea teammate or a player from elsewhere.

But the injury to Calvert-Lewin has heaped pressure on the search for a forward and, with options appearing to be limited, there is a growing sense at Finch Farm that Everton may be better off keeping hold of Broja, who has enjoyed his time on Merseyside and is understood to be open to staying despite his struggle with injuries.

The 22-year-old missed the opening months of the campaign with an achilles issue, with Everton only starting to contribute towards his salary once he became available. The Albania international had several impressive cameos before being stretchered off against Peterborough. Everton have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer should he remain at the club and go on to impress when he does return.