It's 'by no means a certainty' that Andre Gomes will leave Everton in this summer's transfer window, The Athletic's Greg O'Keeffe reports. 

The lowdown

The Liverpool Echo claimed last week that Liga NOS outfit Benfica had enquired about the possibility of signing Gomes. For Everton, it's a move which could 'help free up vital space in the wage bill'.

According to Spotrac, Gomes is the third-highest earner on the club's books, taking home just over £112,000 per week. Only Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne, two other former Barcelona players, earn more.

Everton paid £22m to sign Gomes permanently at the end of a loan spell in 2018/19. He still has three years left on the deal he penned.

The 27-year-old played 28 Premier League games under Carlo Ancelotti last season and averaged 1.3 tackles, 1.1 dribbles and two accurate long balls per match (via WhoScored).

The latest

O'Keeffe says that Ancelotti's successor Rafael Benitez is keen to 'give everyone a fair chance' to prove themselves and, as such, has yet to reach a verdict on whether he wants Gomes to be part of his squad.

However, the report does caution that more 'high-earning low contributors' will have to be sold during the window following the departure of Bernard. At present, Gomes' value stands at £15m.

The verdict

If Everton truly want to become consistent qualifiers for Europe, the revolution must start from within. They need to shed the players who simply haven't delivered, and Gomes - who has just one goal from 81 appearances for the club - is among them.

These sales could then fund genuinely impactful additions, building on the success the Toffees enjoyed last summer with Ben Godfrey, Abdoulaye Doucoure, James Rodriguez and Allan.

If Benitez wants to leave a bigger mark than his predecessors in the Goodison Park dugout, than he'll have to be ruthless in trimming his squad.

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