Everton midfielder Allan won't be following Carlo Ancelotti out of the door at Goodison Park this summer.
Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli journalist Valter de Maggio says (via Sport Witness) that he's spoken to the Brazilian, who reiterated his commitment to the club.
The lowdown
Allan moved to Merseyside last summer for a fee of £21.7million, penning a three-year contract (via BBC Sport).
He reunited with Ancelotti, who had managed him at Napoli from May 2018 until his sacking in December 2019.
BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher described Allan as a 'vital' midfield presence for Everton, with Martin Keown labelling him 'very important'.
The 30-year-old played 24 Premier League matches in his debut season, missing more than two months of action with a muscle injury at the turn of the year (via Transfermarkt).
Ancelotti left Everton at the start of June to return to Real Madrid, potentially igniting fears that the players he helped lure to Goodison would seek a way out.
The latest
Allan purportedly told De Maggio that he was still on 'very good terms' with Ancelotti but is equally 'very happy' at Everton.
"I can confess that I had the opportunity to speak with Allan," the journalist said. "I asked him about his future also because [of the] rumours that they would like him at Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid.
"He has remained on very good terms with the Reggiolo coach. Allan revealed to me that his club will be Everton also because he is very happy there."
The verdict
This will be a blessed relief for any Everton supporters who had put two and two together and braced themselves for Allan's exit.
He carried out the defensive midfield role expertly this season, and you sense the Blues' European ambitions in 2021/22 will partly hinge on his availability over the course of the campaign.
It remains to be seen, meanwhile, whether blockbuster 2020 addition James Rodriguez is still entirely committed now that Ancelotti is gone. Worryingly, he's said to have fallen out with new boss Rafael Benitez in the past.
In other news, Paul Robinson dropped this Sergio Romero transfer claim.