Everton keen to sell Dele Alli amid Besiktas talks but think he might want to stay
Everton are “keen” to sell Dele Alli outright this summer amid talks with Turkish club Besiktas over a deal, according to a report from 90min.
But the Toffees are apparently “not convinced” that the former England international wants to leave the club, despite an uneasy start to life at Goodison.
The midfielder arrived from Tottenham on a January deadline-day deal as then-new manager Frank Lampard rushed to strengthen his squad after being appointed at the end of the window.
Such was his fall from prominence in north London he hasn’t yet cost Everton a fee even though he made a permanent transfer, as he is seven appearances short of triggering the first bonus payment.
The Turkish Super Lig side are “really pushing” for his arrival according to Fabrizio Romano, and 90min report that a loan-to-buy deal looks most likely.
But if the 26-year-old does not want to leave a permanent move, or any at all, cannot be guaranteed.
Stick or twist
When Dele was struggling to make an impact in the second half of last season it was largely negative noise from outside the club that suggested his move had been a failure, with the message coming out from inside that it was always seen as a long-term project.
Whether Frank Lampard has seen enough in preseason, and substitute appearances in the first two games of the campaign, to decide that adequate progress hasn’t been made, or whether the club have simply been surprised that a club has come in for him, the stance appears to have changed.
There have been flashes of the player he used to be, such as when he came on at half-time and helped turn the game around in the Premier League survival-securing 3-2 win over Crystal Palace at the end of the previous campaign.
But those have obviously not been enough yet to suggest he is due to return to his previous heights.
It would certainly be simpler for the club to cut their losses, in terms of effort if not money, and simply move on from Dele, but it makes the time put into securing him and attempting to help him rediscover his form a waste.
Trying to build a quality player who was down on his luck back to his previous self never seemed like the sort of project that meshed well with a club that itself was going through a similar process, but having committed to the plan it feels premature to pull the plug.
Lampard, as arguably the greatest midfield goalscorer the Premier League has ever had, will know better than anyone aside from Dele himself the chances of success on Merseyside.
But if he does go it is a surprising about-face if the manager and Everton are ready to abandon the idea after two games of the new season if they were prepared to embark on it at all.
Fans would surely be less bothered to see the ex-England star leave, than a future one in Anthony Gordon, but it is still a disappointing turn when hopes were so high just seven months ago.