Everton are ramping up talks with a key squad member about a brand new contract to extend his stay at the football club.
The Toffees just secured a new deal for James Tarkowski, which will keep him at the Hill Dickinson Stadium until 2028, but the Merseyside giants are now slowing down there.
Everton are now looking to secure the long-term future of another squad member as the club continues to move forward and try to build a competitive group.
David Moyes and his chiefs are also looking to extend the deals of one key player amid interest from elsewhere, as Graeme Bailey exclusively reveals to Everton News.
David Moyes instructing Everton from the sidelines
Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images
Everton are accelerating contract talks for James Garner
James Garner has emerged as a significant player under Moyes, having featured in all seven of Everton’s Premier League games this season.
His performances have caught the eye of other teams, though, but Everton News has learned that contract talks are moving forward with the 24-year-old.
Bailey told Everton News: “Talk over James Garner’s new deal have accelerated because Everton have been made aware that there is increasing interest in him.
“Garner has been a mainstay since David Moyes’s arrival, and the Scot loves working with the 24-year-old and has made it clear to the club’s top brass that they need to keep him.
MORE EVERTON STORIES
“Garner is happy at Everton and enjoying his football under Moyes, but his people are increasingly aware of the interest being shown.
“Talks have been ongoing since before the summer, but now they are close. There is a belief that terms will be done by the next international break.”
Everton are looking to lock in several players to new deals
Garner isn’t the only player who Everton are trying to tie down to long-term contracts, as the club looks to move into a period of stability.
After a transitional summer, the Toffees now want to have several players to build the squad around, one of which is Jordan Pickford.
Everton are hoping to sign Pickford to a new deal that could see him commit to the club until he retires from football.
Elsewhere, Evertonis also in talks with Vitali Mykolenko about reaching a new deal, with Moyes looking to secure the futures of important players he can build around.