ThewolfEverton are desperate for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to commit his future to the club amid interest from other Premier League clubs ahead of the transfer window.
That is according to well-connected recruitment expert Mick Brown, who exclusively told Football Insider that the striker remains an important part of the plans for the future at Goodison Park despite his contract situation.
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Calvert-Lewin, 27, is approaching the end of his contract at Everton and will be available to discuss a move abroad from January onwards as things stand.
However, it has been said that should he leave the club, they will be forced to spend big on a replacement to match his quality.
Brown has insisted the club will be looking to extend his deal despite having so far failed to make a breakthrough in talks.
Football Insider revealed on 23 September that talks with the striker have collapsed after he rejected multiple offers to extend his deal.
Sources say talks are unlikely to restart until the takeover situation is resolved, opening the door for clubs to make cut-price offers in the January transfer window.
Everton desperate to keep Dominic Calvert-Lewin after latest contract twist
Former Man United, West Ham and Aston Villa senior scout Brown has insisted that Calvert-Lewin’s departure would cost the club dearly in the transfer market given the quality he provides up front, with Beto’s presence not enough to fill his boots.
As a result, they will be keen on keeping him at Goodison Park and tying him down to a new deal, but the decision will rest with the striker.
“Everton will want to keep Calvert-Lewin at the club, I’m sure of it,” he told Football Insider.
“But if he’s out of contract, it’s in his hands and it depends how he feels about it.
“I heard some stories at one stage about concerns over whether he wanted to play and his desire to play after he was hit by a few injuries.
“Now, that was never confirmed, but he’s come back now and he’s so important to Everton.
“They’ve not really got a striker other than him. There’s Beto, but he’s not made much of an impact.
“He’s very important to Everton. More important to them than he would be to any other team. They know what he can do and they know his weaknesses.
“He’s got fallibilities, they know that, but they’ll struggle to go out and find someone better than him if he does leave next year.
“They would have to pay an awful lot of money and there’s no guarantee that they would be any better in their team, so tying him down to a new deal would save them a lot of money.
“That’s the big dilemma for Everton.”
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