Report: Everton now hold positive talks with 27-year-old fringe player ahead of the new Premier League season

Everton have now reportedly held positive talks with 27-year-old midfielder Dele Alli ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

Dele joined Everton from Spurs in January 2022 on an initial free transfer, though a £10m fee was to be paid once the attacker made 20 appearances, with £40m in total owed if certain other benchmarks were met by the player.

However, the former England international struggled to make an impact, and did not score or register an assist in 13 Premier League games, before joining Turkish side Besiktas on loan last summer.

Despite the uninspiring form, Dele’s time at Everton may not be over, according to The Times, who report that Sean Dyche believes that the player “still wishes to push himself”.

Dele Alli has a lot of convincing to do if he wants to remain at Everton

The former Spurs man barely made an impact during his spell in Istanbul, scoring two Super Lig goals in 13 games, with manager Senol Gunes stating that Dele had performed “below expectations in terms of efficiency”.

Returning to Merseyside to begin Everton’s pre-season campaign, it will be interesting to see how Dyche plans to utilise a player who seems to have little future at the club.

Indeed, if the 27-year-old plays another seven competitive games for the Blues, Everton will have to pay Spurs £10m, a fee likely to be beyond what the club has to spare.

There is no doubt of Dele’s ability, and he was once considered one of the brightest sparks in English football, but his commitment to football, and indeed Everton, is questionable at best.

The initial move to Goodison Park in January 2022 could have been the spark that reignited Dele’s dwindling stardom, though the midfielder’s impact in a very poor team was minimal.

Potentially incurring a costly fee for a player whose Premier League career looks to be all-but over would be an enormous risk for a club with such limited funds this summer.