Gerard Deulofeu set to go out on loan - should Everton make a bid?

Gerard Deulofeu has reportedly been told by Barcelona manager Luis Enrique that he will not be part of the first-team squad this season and will be sent out on loan once more.

Deulofeu spent a hugely successful 12 months on loan at Goodison last season and there were hopes the 20-year-old would return again this campaign.

However, the winger decided in May to return to Barcelona to try and fight for his place at the Nou Camp - you can't really blame him for that can you!

He was promoted to the Barca first-team squad for pre-season, allowing new manager Enrique to assess every player at his disposal.

Deulofeu, though, has found pre-season action limited and has yet to be assigned a squad number for the upcoming campaign, suggesting he has not done enough to impress his new coach.

Spanish website Mundo Deportivo claims Enrique has told Deulofeu he will not be part of his plans this season and needs to go out on loan again to further improve his game.

Fellow Spanish side Sevilla have been named as a potential destination for the player, but should Everton go in for another bid?

After all he is familiar with the club, the players, manager and fans, and would increase competition in the attacking areas. Though immensely frustrating at times, Deulofeu possesses immense skill and would return a far more consistent player than he was 12 months ago.

The is an argument, however, that the loan arrival of winger Christian Atsu from Chelsea means the Deulofeu ship has sailed.

With Roberto Martinez only allowed two further loans, with one of those almost certainly a striker, would the final loan be put to better use elsewhere than with Deulofeu? And with so many attacking midfielders would he be a guaranteed first choice?

Barca would only let the winger leave if they knew he was going to play regular football, while Deulofeu will also expect to play more than he did last season. I doubt Everton could offer those guarantees.

To even debate whether to sign a player of Deulofeu's skill is a nice position to be in and a sign of our progress in recent years.

I don't think Martinez will rule out re-signing him for another season, but I suspect he will seek out other options first, meaning this story could well run right to the deadline.