Everton appear to be willing to allow Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon to leave the club before deadline day, according to recent reports.

What's the word?

Writing on Twitter about the future of the 32-year-old, journalist Pete O'Rourke revealed: "Everton are in talks to offload Salomon Rondon before the transfer window closes on Thursday."

The former Newcastle United striker only joined the Merseyside outfit last summer on a free transfer, after opting to reunite with Rafa Benitez having worked under the Spaniard at the Magpies and in China.

The 89-cap dud - who has a year remaining on his existing deal plus the option of an extension - has seemingly been deemed surplus to requirements by Toffees boss Frank Lampard, with the club having only recently bolstered their centre-forward ranks with the addition of Neal Maupay.

Finally ditch

Although that news may come as something of a surprise amid the injury absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin - which leaves the club with a shortage of striking alternatives - it is a marker of Rondon's failings that Lampard is willing to let him depart regardless.

The £20k-per-week man has scored just one goal in 23 Premier League outings in his brief time at Goodison Park thus far, having been largely restricted to a handful of cameos after struggling to get up to speed fitness-wise upon his return to England last summer.

Dubbed "woeful" by writer Peter Guy following a particularly dismal display against West Ham United last season, the one-time West Bromwich Albion man has failed to ever really impress in the blue jersey, with it no real surprise to see him shown the door.

That exit had seemed inevitable of late with Lampard favouring a makeshift option of Anthony Gordon through the middle rather than the 6 foot 1 brute in the early weeks of the season, with even the loss of the aforementioned Calvert-Lewin not seeing him take on a more prominent role.

As pundit Noel Whelan stated, the Caracas-born flop is “not what they need to get themselves out of the relegation fight", with the player neither prolific nor particularly threatening when leading the line.

Although it may have been a difficult situation to try and thrive in amid the doom and gloom at Goodison of late, Rondon has seemingly never looked like being the man to change the club's fortunes, with getting him off the wage bill a wise move with the end of the window now in sight.

Having arrived on deadline day 12 months ago, the marksman looks set for another late switch this time around.