Fabian Delph is among a trio of players that Everton are hoping to sell in January, according to French journalist Santi Aouna.

The lowdown

The England international joined the Toffees from Manchester City ahead of the 2019/20 season in a deal worth an initial £8.5m. He has played just 36 games for the club since, having been hit with a succession of injuries which have sidelined him for nearly 50 matches in total.

Everton generated only £14.4m through player sales and loan fees in the summer as they struggled with Financial Fair Play requirements.

The latest

Aouna, a journalist for French publication Foot Mercato, tweeted that 'Everton would like to get rid of several players' after the turn of the year.

He identified three of those who could be set for the exit door - Delph, left-back Lucas Digne and striker Cenk Tosun.

The verdict

Delph is probably the most surprising inclusion in Aouna's list. Digne has reportedly fallen out with manager Rafael Benitez, and Everton have already lined up a potential replacement in the form of Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Meanwhile, Tosun is on the periphery at Goodison Park, having played just six minutes of football since he returned from injury at the start of November.

On the other hand, Delph has started three of the last seven matches for which he has been available, indicating that he is regarded as a valuable squad player by Benitez, and has won plaudits for his 'excellent' contribution in recent weeks.

Based on the players' Transfermarkt valuations, though, they could bank around £37m from the sales. Perhaps that's the overriding reason for Everton apparently wishing to get that trio off their books once and for all.

In other news, could this Everton ace also head for the exit door?