According to a recent report from The Daily Mail, Everton could face a fight to keep hold of Richarlison come the summer transfer window. The Brazil international only made the move to Goodison Park last year after impressing at fellow Premier League side Watford last season, and he has taken that form into his spell on Merseyside to further underline his credentials in the English top-flight.

And a recent report from The Daily Mail suggests that Chelsea are interested in a summer move for the 21-year-old as they prepare possible replacements for Eden Hazard, and were Marco Silva’s Toffees to indeed lose the talented forward this summer, another underwhelming season would be on the horizon for the Merseyside club.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, it has been a testing season so far for new manager Silva at Goodison Park, as while the Portuguese made an encouraging start to life on Merseyside, things have gone wrong recently to pile the pressure on his shoulders.

The Toffees were sat in sixth place in the Premier League table only back in December to underline the fine start the 41-year-old made at Goodison Park, with the former Watford and Hull City chief going some way to bringing the excitement back to Everton after last season’s dismal football under Sam Allardyce.

Yet things have since taken a turn for the worst given Silva’s side have won just three times in the league since their 1-0 success over Cardiff City at the end of November, losing on seven other occasions to slip to ninth place in the table - clearly, that is simply not good enough.

Yet one of their bright sparks this season has been 21-year-old Richarlison, who made the big money move to Goodison Park during the summer to once again link-up with Silva, having produced the goods under the Portuguese at Watford in the first half of last season.

And the Brazil international has once again proven his worth with ten goals and two assists in 24 Premier League matches for the Toffees, with all ten goals coming in matches that Everton have gone on to either win or draw - clearly, he delivers when it matters most.

In fact, his tally of 11 goals in all competitions sees him atop of the Toffees’ goal-scoring charts this term to further underline his significance, but most important of all he has given Silva another option in the number nine role given the struggles of the rest of Everton’s pool of strikers.

The likes of Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse simply haven’t been able to lead the line effectively when called upon during their respective times at Everton, with Richarlison the man Silva has shoe-horned into the main striker’s role on occasion this term - imagine the predicament they would have been in without the Brazilian ace.

And in a team that have invested heavily in recent years in a bid to bridge the gap to the Premier League’s top six, they simply cannot be in the business of selling their best and most important players - they won’t get anywhere if they do.

And in Richarlison, the Toffees have themselves an asset - an asset that can aid them in their quest up the Premier League table in the years to come.

Losing him is simply unthinkable this summer, as doing so would all but end their chances of moving up the division - in fact, an underwhelming campaign would beckon for Everton were they to sell the 21-year-old to Chelsea.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!