Everton boss Sean Dyche has revealed that the club have begun "background talks" with Tottenham over resurrecting Dele Alli's career.
Dele joined Everton from Spurs on an initial free transfer in January 2022 but the deal could eventually cost the Toffees up to £30million, depending on appearances.
The first payment of £10m is due when Dele has played 20 games for the Merseyside club and he is currently on 13 after spending the second half of last season on loan at Besiktas and undergoing hip surgery in the summer.
Given Everton's dire financial situation, there is no chance they will allow Dele to reach 20 appearances, leaving his career in limbo unless they can reach an agreement with Spurs.
In July, Dele opened up on his mental health struggles in an emotional interview with Gary Neville and revealed that he was sexually abused as a child.
Dyche wants to support the former England midfielder and reintegrate him into the first team when fit.
And the Toffees boss revealed that Everton's director of football Kevin Thelwell has started talks with Spurs to find a solution.
Asked if there had been any progress on the situation, Dyche said: “No, not yet. Kev [Thelwell] has had a couple of phone calls just lightly in the background, [asking Tottenham], 'Look, where do you see it?’ But nothing has changed at the moment.”
However, Dyche stressed that the situation is not yet pressing, with Dele back in individual training outdoors but still a long way from full fitness.
“I must make it clear he is on the grass but still a long way from being fit. He is not training with us, he is with the sports science staff," Dyche added.
“He is just really getting back to where he was. He was drastically unfortunate when the rehab [went] wrong after an operation, and it is almost more time than the original moment.
“But the specialists advised to leave it alone and just let it heal naturally. He is in a good place, but he is still quite far away [from playing].”
