Everton open the door to Pickford's departure

Marco Silva, the Everton manager, will have the final say, but the Toffees have already made it clear that they are not happy with their first choice goalkeeper, especially after a pub brawl in which he was involved.

The fact that Everton are expected to achieve a mid-table finish is partly due to Pickford's lack of clean sheets, who was supposed to be one of the team's stars.

His 2018 World Cup with the English national squad was outstanding, but his attitude and poor performance with Everton has pushed the Merseyside team to look for a replacement.

Enter Nick Pope, Burnley's goalkeeper. He has Marco Silva's approval and has been solid for Burnley, with an eight-point cushion over the relegation positions.