Everton snap up Oldham teenager

David Moyes, the Everton manager, is working to improve the firepower of his side, who have managed only 31 Premiership goals so far this season.

Moyes has agreed a fee for Oldham's 17-year-old striker Scott Spencer, but despite travelling to Cardiff to watch the England Under-21 international Cameron Jerome on Friday, his interest is believed to have cooled in the Welsh club's £3m-rated forward.

With James Beattie having not scored for six games, and Duncan Ferguson unlikely to be retained when his contract runs out in the summer, Moyes needs to work hard to solve his goalscoring problems.

Spencer will cost a £225,000 down payment and could sign by the weekend, subject to a medical.

Oldham's chief executive, Alan Hardy, said: "A deal has been agreed in principle with Everton. It is now down to a medical and whether the boy wants to move."

Moyes has trailed the academy product for some time, and clearly sees Spencer as a long-term prospect. But he will need more strikers and has been linked with Blackburn's Paul Dickov. However, it is likely that Dickov will return to Manchester City on a free transfer this summer.

One player Moyes hopes will be able to have a more productive time next season is his Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde, who has been dogged by injury since joining from Internazionale last summer, and has only just returned from a three-match suspension after being sent off in the recent Merseyside derby.

"I cannot wait to start the new season," Van der Meyde said. "I want the coach, my team-mates and the fans to see I can be important for them. After a long time of not playing I want to give something back to the people."