Brands confident of Everton new striker deal after preliminary talks - Sources
Everton are confident of agreeing a new contract with Dominic Calvert-Lewin after positive preliminary discussions, Football Insider can reveal.
The striker, 22, was linked with Manchester United last month but the Merseysiders have no intention of letting him go.
An Everton source has told Football Insider that recruitment chief Marcel Brands is working on tying Calvert-Lewis to a new and improved deal.
Early talks have gone well and there is hope at Goodison Park that an agreement can be reached in the coming months.
Calvert-Lewin has more than three years remaining on his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2023.
But the Premier League club recognise he needs rewarding for the progress he has made in the opening half of the season.
This comes after Football Insider revealed last week that Everton have opened talks with Mason Holgate over a new deal to replace his contract expiring in 2022.
Calvert-Lewin is also young, English and playing the best football of his career.
The forward has taken his game to a new level since Duncan Ferguson's spell in caretaker charge was followed by the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti.
He has scored 12 goals from 27 appearances in all competitions this season, including 10 strikes from 22 Premier League games.
Calvert-Lewin has netted seven times in the league since 7 December, with all of his goals proving crucial to the match outcome.
He was signed by Everton – for just £1.5 million – when he was 19, in the summer of 2016 from Sheffield United.