Everton will fight to keep hold of manager Ronald Koeman as interest from European giants Barcelona continues to rise, The Sun reports.

What's the word?

Sat one point behind Real Madrid in the La Liga standings despite playing two games more than their arch-rivals and finding themselves on the receiving end of a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, it now seems inevitable that Luis Enrique will leave the Nou Camp this summer.

Suggestions of an unrest amongst the squad following the first-leg defeat to PSG on Tuesday evening has only intensified claims that Enrique will depart Catalonia at the end of the season and Ronald Koeman seems to be an ideal candidate for the job.

However, Everton fill fight tooth and nail to keep Koeman at Goodison Park, with the Dutchman only arriving from Southampton last summer, but Koeman's ties with the Catalan giants may leave the Toffees fighting in a losing battle.

Why Koeman?

Experienced and with close ties to Barcelona, having spent eight years as a player at the Nou Camp and previously being a member of the club's coaching staff, Koeman fits the Catalan side's criteria of bringing in a man who knows the club well.

Whilst Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli may also be on the short-list, Koeman knows how Barcelona works and the Spanish giants like to ensure stability in the club- with Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique both taking the first-team reigns after working with the team in other aspects previously.

Whether Koeman would depart his project at Everton after just one-year remains to be seen, although it would be extremely difficult to turn down Barcelona- a club Koeman has revealed previously he wants to return to in the future.

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