Everton chief executive officer Angus Kinnear has acknowledged that holding on to elite players is one of the defining challenges facing clubs of the Toffees' stature in the Premier League, regardless of how well they are performing on the pitch.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Kinnear pointed to the situations at Newcastle and Aston Villa — two clubs who have enjoyed strong recent form — as evidence that the problem extends far beyond Goodison Park's successor.

Ndiaye at the centre of it all

Attacker Iliman Ndiaye, 26, has been linked with a move to Al-Hilal of the Saudi Pro League after contributing six goals and three assists for Everton last season. Kinnear made clear the club's desire to keep him.