Everton have a decision to make regarding Jonjoe Kenny’s future at Goodison Park as the defender nears the final year of his contract.

The Toffees had sought to sell their academy product in January but failed to find a suitor willing to spend £10m, with Burnley claimed to have baulked at paying out big on a player who was not a part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.

Kenny eventually sealed a last-ditch loan to Celtic where he has proven to be a pillar of the Hoops backline, but his efforts have failed to see a rise in the 24-year-old’s TransferMarkt valuation which has plummeted by 41% over the past 16 months.

Riding high on a wave of form with Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04 during a loan spell at the Veltins Arena last season, the reputable transfer market analysis website graded Kenny at a value of £10.8m in December 2019.

It was the highest that Kenny had ever been valued at throughout his career with a previous best while on Merseyside of £4.5m, and remains a personal high having hit a rapid decline in the year that followed.

By the end of his time in Germany, Kenny’s value had already fallen to £8.5m and continued to drop to its current fee of £6.3m in the subsequent months in line with Ancelotti looking elsewhere in his squad for his first-choice right-back.

Even when Seamus Coleman was unavailable, Ancelotti often turned to Mason Holgate – a natural centre-back – to slot in and even awarded minutes to midfielders Tom Davies and Alex Iwobi in the role.

It meant that Kenny joined Celtic having only played 313 minutes over eight appearances in all competitions this season, while starting just four of his outings – one of which in the Premier League coming between ankle and knee injuries.

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Game time has not been an issue for Kenny to secure at Parkhead with 11 outings to his name already, having not missed a single fixture, and he is keen to now use that platform as a chance to settle down at one club.

“Personally, I haven’t heard anything about my future. There are a lot of games to go and things to sort out. I just want to take it week-by-week,” he said, via quotes by the Glasgow Times.

“I’ve got to stay focus on what I’ve got to do, which is performing to the maximum of my ability every week. I think I’ve done okay on my loan spells. I’ve been to some great places and enjoyed it and had some good seasons.

“But as a player you want to have a home for the long-term, wherever that may be. I want to get the head down and really push on. The discussions will go on, but I need to go out and perform.”

It is unlikely that Kenny will find his long-term future at Everton and his desires of finding that home could now put suitors on alert, giving the Toffees’ Director of Football Marcel Brands room to work with and avoid losing the right-back on a Bosman deal next year.

Celtic pundit Colin Watt may have claimed Kenny has been “very impressive” in the Premiership, but Ancelotti clearly did not see enough from the defender during his time at Goodison Park and now has eyes on a host of alternatives.

Reports by the Daily Mail have also suggested that the Liverpudlian is expected to be moved on in the summer in what is surely a must, for a player whose value will only continue to dwindle the longer he remains under contract.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands could deliver Everton’s own Virgil van Dijk with £17.5m summer swoop…