Updated The uncertainty over Dele Alli’s future continues with reports that Everton have held talks with Tottenham Hotspur to renegotiate conditions that would apply if Everton were to re-sign the former England international.
Dele’s 2½-year contract with Everton expired two weeks ago and he is now technically a free agent but the player returned to Finch Farm this week and continues to train with Everton, who have promised to help his continuing rehabilitation after more than a year lost to groin injury problems.
Under the original agreement between the clubs, it was believed that if Dele were to sign a new deal at Everton, regardless of his contract status, Spurs would be due an unspecified lump payment, and the Toffees had been trying to negotiate a different fee structure.
However, Alan Myers of Sky Sports suggests that the Blues would only need to pay the North London club if they later sold Dele on and this has been lent credence by Paddy Boyland in The Athletic who says an agreement is close.
Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail is reporting that the clubs have come to an agreement whereby Everton would not pay anything if Dele were to sign a new contract with them. However, there would be additional payments due to Tottenham based on certain objectives being met as well as a sell-on clause should Alli late move on from Everton.
He played his last game while on loan with Besiktas back in February 2023 before returning to England in April to have a hip muscle injury assessed by Everton’s medical staff. The problem was diagnosed to be a muscular partial avulsion that would require surgery and kept him out for the remainder of the 2022-23 season. Prior to going on loan, he had made only 13 appearances for Everton.
Last season, as he appeared close to a return following surgery last summer, the clubs held talks about the terms of his original transfer with pending performance payments falling due if he had gone on to make 20 appearances for Everton.
While no resolution was reached, the talks became redundant when the England international suffered an unfortunate setback with his groin injury that would prevent him from playing any part last season, and his contract with Everton duly lapsed at the end of June 2024.
In an interview in April, Dele said he wants to break back into the England squad before the 2026 World Cup.
“I know my level as a player and what I can get to. I know how good I can be when my head is in the right place and I’m feeling good,” Dele told Sky Sports.
“Obviously I’m disappointed with the injury right now but I’m excited to get playing. It’s hard for me to even watch football.
“It’s been tough for me, I’d say, this past eight months has been hard to watch. You know you can set reminders on your phone, I have a reminder at 11 o’clock every day that says, ‘World Cup 2026’. That’s my aim for now.
“I think that people will be like, ‘he hasn’t played in a year’ but I don’t care, I know my level. The only target I have is the World Cup right now.
“Obviously I’m injured and contracted to Everton and so my mind is just about taking it day by day and making sure my injury is healed and that I’m in the best possible condition after the summer.
“It’s annoying because I’ll be just fully training as the season ends so it means that I won’t have to rush it.”