Isaac Price on verge of agreeing Everton exit, pre-contract deal lined up in Europe
Everton youngster Isaac Price is closing in on a summer exit from Goodison Park, with the midfielder on the verge of signing a pre-contract agreement with Standard Liege, according to The Athletic.
The 19-year-old signed his first professional contract with the Toffees in September but has made just three senior appearances since then.
And with his contract expiring at the end of the current campaign, Price is keen for regular first-team football elsewhere, having also reportedly attracted interest from clubs in Germany and Scotland.
“Isaac Price is on course to leave Everton this summer, with the youngster close to signing a pre-contract agreement with Standard Liege,” according to The Athletic.
“Everton had been keen to retain Price – who is a box-to-box midfielder – but despite extended negotiations he is looking for more first-team football elsewhere.
“His contract at Everton is up this summer and should the move go through, the Merseyside club would be due a set compensation sum of around £400,000.”
Understandable decision
Price may just be 19 years old, but there are others his age in the Premier League who are playing regularly for their respective clubs, which is not the case for the Toffees teenager.
The central midfielder has been handed just 32 minutes in the current league campaign, having to continue for the club’s reserves as the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana take up the spaces in Sean Dyche’s starting XI.
He could stay and fight for his place, and he may be handed a more prominent role next season should Everton get relegated to the Championship, but the youngster clearly has other plans.
Amid interest from clubs in other European countries, he seems to have opted for the hugely competitive Belgian league, with Price possibly hoping that a chance to play in Europe will come shortly after his move.
The midfielder also has an international career to worry about now having made his debut for Northern Ireland last month, with regular first-team football necessary to land a place in manager Michael O’Neill’s squad going forward.