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It appears that negotiations are underway between Everton and Anderlecht that could see Henry Onyekuru playing in Belgium for another year. As reported by Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN) in their print edition, an agreement is in the draft stage for the Purple & White to keep the young forward.
However, any negotiations for the Nigerian to extend his loan period appear contingent on Anderlecht qualifying for the Champions League. The club are currently sitting in third place in the Jupiler League playoff stage with four games left to play. Anderlecht are tied on points with second-placed Genk, and four points adrift of leaders Standard Liege.
His broker William D’Avila added in comments to the same daily -
“That’s right. If Henry could play in the Champions League with Anderlecht, that would make the conversations easier.
“At the moment our focus is on the return of Henry and his chances for World Cup participation. Afterwards, all options are open: Everton, Anderlecht or another European club.”
Reports from Italy say that AC Milan have been linked with the player recently after receiving glowing reports from their scouts before the player got injured. Onyekuru played an hour on Monday for the Anderlecht reserves after getting 25 minutes the previous week in his first appearance on the pitch in 2018.
Onyekuru has just made his return to competitive action following a five month layoff due to a knee injury, but has yet to play for the senior side. The missed time could prove crucial to his chances of making Nigeria’s squad for the 2018 World Cup this summer in Russia. That selection was expected to ease any work permit worries that Everton would have faced in trying to get the youngster over to the Premier League next season.
However, the news that the Blues could send him out for another loan spell could mean there are still concerns over his work permit or his preparedness for the grind of the Premier League season. Additionally, the uncertainty over Sam Allardyce’s tenure might mean that it is for the best that Onyekuru stays away from Finch Farm until the situation has stabilized.