Everton could look to offload a midfielder this summer with David Moyes having plenty of options.
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Hull City have submitted a formal offer to sign Everton midfielder Tim Iroegbunam, with talks ongoing between the two clubs.
Iroegbunam was left out of the Everton squad to face Newcastle on Wednesday evening, with question marks surrounding his future.
The Everton midfielder is out of contract next summer, meaning the Toffees have a decision to make on his future.
Everton have brought Christian Norgaard and Hayden Hackney to the club in the summer transfer window, while Merlin Rohl's move was made permanent. As a result, Iroegbunam could struggle for game time at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, so it might make sense to offload him this summer.
With Hull City circling and a congested midfield battling for spots, the Toffees must sacrifice their young prospect to balance the books and fund future arrivals.roundtable.ioEverton Exit For Tim Iroegbunam Now Feels Inevitable
With Hull City circling and a congested midfield battling for spots, the Toffees must sacrifice their young prospect to balance the books and fund future arrivals.
Hull submit Iroegbunam offer
According to The Bobble, Hull City have now submitted a formal offer to sign Everton midfielder Iroegbunam.
Talks are ongoing between the two clubs as they look to come to an agreement in terms of a transfer fee.
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic recently spoke out about Iroegbunam, confirming that the newly promoted club are interested in securing his signature. He also confirmed that he believes there has been progress made in a deal to sign the Everton midfielder.
"I think there is progress in this player.
"I like how he is playing and he is very experienced. I think we need this profile for a midfielder and I hope we will sign him.
"But, we will see. It could be a loan or permanent transfer. There is a lot of exchanging. He is in the last year of his contract which is an advantage for us."
Hull clearly know they can get Iroegbunam for less than they would if he was on a long-term project, and it's fairly obvious that Everton would be open to a sale.
Iroegbunam exit the right decision
Offloading Iroegbunam in the summer transfer window would be the right decision from Everton.
The former Aston Villa man has just one year remaining on his deal, and if the Toffees can get a fee for him, it would make sense to offload. The other options are give him a new contract or let him leave for free: neither of those two options make sense.
As mentioned, Iroegbunam is falling down the pecking order at Everton due to recent signings. Given the way he's handled pre-season, Harrison Armstrong might be overtaking him too, meaning Iroegbunam could easily be fifth choice in the middle of the park at least.
Due to the fact he's going to struggle for minutes, offering him a new deal would be a financial and footballing mistake. It's all about cashing in at the right time, and with Everton having plenty of options and his contract running down, this is the perfect time to allow Iroegbunam to go and play football.
If you're worried about him developing into a top-level Premier League player, make sure you insert sell-on clauses and other add-ons that could benefit Everton in the future.
If the price is right, I think Everton will be saying goodbye to Iroegbunam, and wishing him all the best for the future.