Former Everton £24m signing available on free transfer after deadline extension passes

Former Everton midfielder Davy Klaassen is set to become a free agent this summer after just one league start for his current club.

The 31-year-old played 16 times for Everton during the 2017/18 season, having fallen out of favour with manager Sam Allardyce and replacement Marco Silva. He started just three Premier League games and failed to score.

Klaassen left Goodison Park 12 months after his £24million arrival, moving to Werder Bremen before returning to Ajax and eventually switching to Inter in September. He played 18 times in Italy in all, but barely played 200 Serie A minutes having started just one game.

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It is no surprise, then, that Inter are presumed to have neglected the chance to offer him a renewal on his current 12-month deal. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano says several clubs have registered their interest in Klaassen after the deadline for an extension passed on Friday.

There are reports that Everton are expected to let a number of players leave this summer in order to comply with Premier League Profit & Sustainability Rules, having been punished for breaching limits in the past two cycles. But the ECHO understands if a member of Sean Dyche’s squad is sold it will only be because a suitor has met their valuation and the player themselves wants to leave.

Amadou Onana and Jarrad Branthwaite are being eyed by Premier League rivals. There is uncertainty around the ownership of the club following the anticipated collapse of 777 Partners’ takeover on Saturday, but the Blues hierarchy have maintained they are in a stable financial position.

“The club will continue to operate as usual, while it works with Blue Heaven Holdings to assess all options for the club’s future ownership,” Everton said in a statement.