Contract talks have restarted between Everton and centre-back Michael Keane who is officially a free agent tomorrow, according to The Times journalist Paul Joyce.
The 32-year-old joined the Toffees from Burnley in the summer of 2017, signing a contract with Everton until 2025 back in August 2020.
Talks over another extension at the Hill Dickinson Stadium club hit a brick wall some months ago but they are now back on.
Everton now want to keep Keane and are hoping to find an agreement that would keep him at the Merseyside club beyond this summer.
They would prefer to use the money they would use to find a centre-back replacement elsewhere, and manager David Moyes could do with funds for much-needed transfers.
Everton are also set to hand Jarrad Branthwaite and Idrissa Gueye new deals, with the duo set to sign new contract deals in the coming days.
Keane made 18 appearances for the Toffees last term across all competitions, starting 14 times, and he still has plenty of quality and experience to offer the team going forward.
Everton finished 13th in the Premier League table last term and will be desperate to put in an improved performance in 2025-26 and qualify for Europe.
They have signed Charly Alcaraz permanently after his impressive loan spell last term, but the likes of Jack Harrison, Jesper Lindstrom, Orel Mangala and Armando Broja have returned to their parent clubs after permanent deals were not agreed.
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