Dele Alli and Anwar El Ghazi may not be Everton players next season, if fresh reports are to be believed.
The lowdown
The Toffees signed Dele from Tottenham on January's transfer deadline day, while El Ghazi made a loan switch from Aston Villa midway through the month.
Under the terms of the agreement they reached with Spurs, Everton will only have to pay the north Londoners a £10m fee once Dele has made 20 appearances in blue. The fee could rise as high as £40m according to Sky Sports, depending on whether various performance-related add-ons are triggered.
As for El Ghazi, the Toffees negotiated a €10m (£8.4m) purchase option with Villa.
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The latest
Sports journalist Pete O'Rourke has told GiveMeSport that Dele could leave Goodison Park in the summer, stating: "It’s a possibility, if Everton have got that clause in his contract, that they could let him go without having to pay Spurs anything. It would, obviously, save Everton some money if that were to happen."
Meanwhile, Football Insider reported that the Blues aren't interested in a permanent deal for El Ghazi, who has 'struggled to make an impression' on Frank Lampard and his coaching staff since he joined the Merseyside outfit.
The verdict
This news shouldn't come as too big a surprise regarding either player.
Dele has yet to start a single game since he arrived at Everton and, if anything, he is falling further down the pecking order. Having come on from the bench in seven straight league matches, he has now been an unused substitute in the last two games.
El Ghazi, who was signed while Rafael Benitez was still in charge at Goodison Park, has barely had a look-in under Lampard. He has played a mere 11 minutes of Premier League football in a blue shirt and may already be considering his next move.
Everton signed five players in January as they looked to turn their season around, but so far it has made little difference - they remain just three points above the relegation zone with 10 matches to play.
In other news, Jonathan Woodgate accuses one Everton star of throwing his toys 'out the pram'.