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Everton are willing to wait on a move for William Carvalho as he battles with Sporting Lisbon over his contract, reports the Mirror.
Carvalho had been identified as a target for the Blues this summer, with manager Marco Silva keen to reunite with a former player.
It was believed that a move from Everton was imminent as they look to address deficiencies in their squad this summer.
However, it now appears any move for the Portugal international will now be put on hold as Everton await to discover the outcome of his attempts to leave Sporting on a free transfer.
Reports in Portugal this week suggested that Carvalho is one of several players at the club to have given notice to terminate their contracts with the club.
That move comes after player were attacked at the club’s training ground by a group of masked fans last month.
It is likely that a decision from the courts will be needed and Everton are willing to wait until a final decision has been made before making their move for Carvalho.
That is a strategy that makes sense, should Carvalho become available the Blues would save themselves a hefty transfer fee something they will be keen to do after the disappointment of last summer’s transfer window.
It could, however, also be risky one with a number of top sides around Europe sure to be interested in Carvalho should he suddenly become available on a free.