Everton figures are split over whether Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be sold before the end of the transfer window, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Chris Beesley writes for the outlet’s website on 3 August that some in the Goodison Park “corridors of power” are said to be “loath” to miss out on a transfer fee for the star striker after he entered the final 12 months of his contract on Merseyside.
But others feel letting the Englishman go for below market value this summer would leave Sean Dyche’s squad “dangerously short of firepower” and the risk is great enough that it would make more sense to let him leave for nothing in a year’s time.
The Toffees have offered the 27-year-old an extension to his deal but uncertainty over the ownership situation in the wake of Dan Friedkin’s collapsed takeover looks to have ended chances of him signing it [The Times, 19 July].
Sean Dyche has Beto and Youssef Chermiti in Everton squad
The ideal outcome would be for Calvert-Lewin to accept an extension on the proviso that he could be sold in one of the upcoming windows for a full fee should the right offer arrive.
But he may be excused for feeling that the landscape is so endlessly uncertain at the club that he wants more of a clear outlook than that, even if that means knowing he leaves for nothing next summer.
The next best option would be to let him go now for a reduced price and bring in a suitable replacement, but after talks with long-term suitors Newcastle broke down during the pursuit of Yakuba Minteh in June there are currently no takers for Calvert-Lewin [Ian Croll, 26 July].
The Toffees have been turned down by Tammy Abraham [Sky Sports Italia, 30 July] and there is no guarantee that Chelsea’s Armando Broja is a suitable replacement, even though a bid has reportedly been made for the Albanian [El Chiringuito TV, 30 July] that could have come from Goodison Park.
Beto showed some positive signs last term and Youssef Chermiti has suggested during preseason he is ready for a greater role but it would be a risk to lose Calvert-Lewin without a replacement arriving, with Neal Maupay available for transfer [TEAMtalk, 2 August].
The finances have been tipped to become very concerning again within a matter of a few months by Kieran Maguire (31 July), who has also suggested that without a new takeover deal materialising imminently the club may have to consider selling one of the crown jewels before the window shuts.
That likely means Jarrad Branthwaite since he is the most valuable and the most wanted, but might mean any cash that is put on the table for Calvert-Lewin has to be considered.
Yet if his goals are the difference between Premier League survival and relegation he would be worth far more on the pitch than a cut-price fee, even if his preseason performances have created some doubt on that front.
