Everton are confident that Dominic Calvert-Lewin will soon agree to sign a new contract, according to Football Insider.
Telegraph Sport reported in December that the Toffees had looked set to offer the striker a new contract, following a dramatic upturn in his goalscoring form.
Since Marco Silva was sacked in early December, the 22-year old has scored seven goals in 10 Premier League games, while he had only managed to score three in 13 in the early stages of the season (Transfermarkt).
Calvert-Lewin’s form had also attracted the attention of Manchester United at the beginning of last month, where a £50 million transfer had been mooted if United couldn’t land Red Bull Salzburg (now Borussia Dortmund) forward Erling Haaland (Express Sport).
Now however, Football Insider claim that Marcel Brands is working hard to tie the former Sheffield United forward down to a new long-term deal, and preliminary talks have been positive so far.
Calvert-Lewin’s current deal runs until 2023, but the club have recognised that the number 9’s form this season is deserving of being rewarded.
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While Calvert-Lewin started the season in and out of the starting line-up at Goodison Park, the England international hopeful has been a mainstay in the line-up since Silva’s sacking.
He has started and played the duration of every game since the latter was replaced in early December except for last weekend, where he was sacrificed for Michael Keane once Fabian Delph was sent off (Transfermarkt).
Young, English and playing the some of best football of his career, Calvert-Lewin has proven to be a real shining light this season, ranking among the club’s top-five WhoScored performers.
He joins Mason Holgate in that regard, with the duo proving to be stand outs for Everton, having grown and matured a lot since the end of last season. It could be imperative that Everton protect the core group of young players already at the club, and Calvert-Lewin is certainly one of those players.
Should his form continue over the next four months, and with Ancelotti talking up a potential England call-up for the forward (BBC Sport), tying Calvert-Lewin to a new long-term deal now could prove to be a very wise move if his value does boom in the coming seasons.
