The key point for Everton is not just the uncertainty around Balogun. It is the need to have a second option ready.
Balogun is widely seen as a direct runner who attacks space. Zirkzee offers more link play and a looser, creative centre-forward style. Those are not like-for-like choices, which tells you this is no simple contingency plan. A deadline-day pivot can change the shape of an attack, not just the name on the shirt.
Another report says Chelsea have agreed to sell Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City, subject to a medical. With claims around several late deals still shifting, that is a story to handle carefully, but the football logic is easy to see.
If completed, Fernandez would give City another midfielder comfortable receiving under pressure and dictating tempo. For Chelsea, any exit of that scale would point to another significant reset in the middle of the pitch.
The next few hours matter more than the headlines. Everton need clarity up front, whether that is Balogun, Zirkzee, or a fresh target. City and Chelsea, meanwhile, may yet have another major twist before the window closes. On deadline day, the last update is rarely the final one.