Fraser Hornby is understood to be on his way to Pittodrie to join Aberdeen on a loan deal until the end of the season.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed precious little time on the pitch since making a £1.8million move from Everton to French Ligue 1 side Reims in July last year.
The striker has made only three appearances, all coming from the bench, with his last outing a nine-minute cameo against Paris Saint-Germain in a 2-0 loss at the end of September.
Since then, he has been an unused substitute on six occasions for the Stade Auguste-Delaune side, who were sitting 14th in the French top flight ahead of today’s fixtures.
Hornby will be hoping to wrack up more minutes on the pitch if he trades playing for The Red and Whites of France for The Reds of Scotland.
Delighted to have signed for @StadeDeReims excited to see what the future holds⚪️🔴… Also thanks to all the staff, players and fans @Everton for the past 6 years and wish the club all the best in future💙 pic.twitter.com/tauPEWNLrN
— Fraser Hornby (@fraser_hornby) July 1, 2020
From The Cobblers to Goodison
Hornby was born in Northampton and came through the ranks at his hometown team before moving from the Cobblers to Everton for an initial £65,000 deal in September 2014.
Hornby was only 15 at the time and the move was under the terms of the Elite Performance Plan which meant Northampton Town could receive up to £1.3million depending on how many first-team games the striker went on to play for the Goodison Park club.
Many congratulations to @fraser_hornby who has signed his first professional contract with @Everton 📝 pic.twitter.com/1iNvpLW5KK
— CAA Base (@CAABase) July 4, 2018
The Power of Scotland
Despite being born in Northampton, Hornby elected to represent Scotland and has been capped at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.
He has been a pivotal member of the Scotland under-21 side in recent years, notching a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Andorra in September 2018 and both goals in a 2-1 success against the Netherlands a few days later.
Another hat-trick against San Marino in October 2020 took Hornby’s tally to 10 goals, making him the record goalscorer for the under-21s.
The record was previously held by Jordan Rhodes and former Aberdeen striker Scott Booth, who each had eight goals to their name.
From Cyprus to Belgium
Hornby made his one and only appearance for Everton in December 2017 when he played 82 minutes in a Europa League match away to Apollon Limassol, the Cypriot side who knocked out Aberdeen earlier in the competition.
The striker was loaned to Belgian side Kortrijk in August 2019 where he scored four goals in 14 games.
Hornby’s time in Merseyside came to an end in July last year when he joined Ligue 1 club Reims for a reported £1.8million.
Soccer siblings
Hornby’s older brother Lewis was a midfielder who also played for Northampton Town and Kettering Town but is currently a free agent.
More than a targetman
Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous lauded Hornby as a future full Scotland international after he scored both goals for the under-21s in their shock win against the Netherlands.
Speaking to The Sun, Porteous lavished praise on the attacker.
He said: “Fraser is definitely a future Scotland striker.
“In fact, I don’t think he’s that far away right now. We watched the last couple of Scotland games and they have been decent.
“But in my opinion, that’s what they need — a targetman.
“They have got a couple in the pecking order, but I don’t see why Fraser can’t make that step up in the next couple of years.
“I’ve played with him for Scotland for two years now and he’s a great player. He can do both sides. He’s a big target man and a strong boy, but he’s technically very good and his awareness is fantastic.
“When we’re training I just try and kick him!
“We all know he’s a high-class player. He wouldn’t have played for Everton’s first team if he wasn’t.”
Football friends
If Hornby completes his move to Aberdeen before the transfer window closes at midnight on Monday, the attacker will be teaming up with a few familiar faces.
The striker already knows Connor McLennan, Lewis Ferguson and Ross McCrorie from his time with the under-21s, while Dons winger Matty Kennedy was an Everton player when Hornby moved to the Blues in 2014.
