Everton boss Ronald Koeman has indicated that the club will look to sell Ross Barkley this summer if the England midfielder does not sign a new contract.
Barkley’s current deal expires in 2018 and Everton are looking prepared to cash in rather than risk him walking away at the end of next season if he does not re-sign.
Speaking after his team’s 4-2 win against Leicester at Goodison Park, Koeman gave a straight response when asked what could be done to fix the 23-year-old’s future.
“We offer him a new contract, and then (there are) two possibilities,” Koeman said.
“One, he signs that contract, if he doesn’t sign that contract then we need to sell the player. It’s simple – it’s not so difficult in my opinion.”
“We try to keep the best players,” Koeman added.
“We spoke a lot about Ross and Rom because they are really important.
“Most of the time the quality of the players can be the difference between Everton and the opponent, and they played really well.”
Lukaku’s future has also been in doubt, with the Belgian rejecting a new contract.