Everton open to listen to offers for £26m duo who have played just 573 minutes of football this season

Everton are looking to sell players to raise funds for new incomings. The Toffees have been in a perilous financial position and have limited funds in the winter transfer window. Everton are ready to listen to offers for Michael Keane and Mason Holgate.

Currently, Everton have six central defenders on their roster. The Toffees welcomed the arrivals of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady in the summer, much needed boost to a shaky and unreliable central defence.

Last season, the defence shipped 66 goals and were error prone, increasing the pressure on Jordan Pickford to save the day. The Toffees had central options in Yerry Mina, Keane, Holgate and Ben Godfrey. The centre back combination was continuously chopped and changed, either because of injuries or simple experimentation, which never allowed a specific centre back pair to settle.

Now, Tarkowski and Coady are rightfully the first choice options. The duo has exceptional leadership qualities and is rock solid at the back. Lampard has preferred Mina and Godfrey as their backups or utilizing one of them along with Tarkowski and Coady in a three man defence.

Everton ready to listen to offers for Michael Keane and Mason Holgate

Keane and Holgate have seen a massive reduction in playing time. Keane has just played 22 minutes in the Premier League, whereas, he has two EFL cup appearances. Holgate has played four Premier Legaue games and has one Carabao Cup appearance to his name. Collectively, the duo has played just 573 minutes of football this season.

Both the centre backs were linked with Southampton as Nathan Jones’ side looks to bolster their attack. The Saints wanted to take Keane on loan but their inquiry has been knocked back as Everton are not interested in loaning out Keane.

According to Sky Sports, Everton are looking to raise funds through player sales and will listen to offers for Keane and Holgate. If Southampton are interested in either of the two defenders, they will have to make a permanent offer as the Merseysiders are not keen to loan them out.

The Toffees need funds as they aim to bolster the frontline. Keane and Holgate seem surplus to requirements and should be available in the market. Keane has a market value of £12.3 million and Holgate has a market value of £14 million, but it is unlikely that any interested buyer will match this valuation.

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