Marcel Brands played a blinder selling Kieran Dowell to Norwich City last summer as the Championship side’s promotion may now benefit Everton.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Canaries sealing an instant return to the Premier League could see the Toffees land a cash injection.

Dowell left Goodison Park for Carrow Road last July for an undisclosed fee, but the deal struck to sell the 23-year-old is believed to include performance-related add-ons.

Norwich announced in their latest accounts that £6.1m had been spent on the signings of Dowell and Jordan Hugill, plus the season-long loan captures of Oliver Skipp, Xavi Quintilla and Ben Gibson.

A further £4.6m would also be due to the parent and former clubs of the five players stated, dependent on Norwich’s results during their first year back in the Championship.

And the Canaries secured their immediate top-flight return on Saturday after Brentford and Swansea City failed to win their respective games, to leave Watford as the only side who can deny Daniel Farke’s men the title.

Norwich currently hold an eight-point advantage over the Hornets with six games to play, while Swansea sit third a further six points behind.

It remains to be seen how much the Canaries could now owe Everton, with the specific terms of Dowell’s add-on clauses not specified.

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A Brands masterclass

Everton’s Director of Football Brands including performance-related clauses in negotiations with Norwich over the transfer of Dowell has seen the Dutchman play a blinder, with the Merseysiders now potentially owed additional funds for a player sold relatively cheaply.

It is likely that the Toffees only made around £1-2m through Dowell’s actual departure, with reports that Norwich paid West Ham up to £5m for Hugill last summer, but there are no guarantees that the Goodison Park outfit would have been able to make anything more.

Dowell left Everton having only played five first-team games in royal blue between his debut in December 2014 under Roberto Martinez and loan spells with Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Derby County and Wigan Athletic.

He has since made 22 appearances for Norwich across all competitions, yet has only been a regular starter under Farke in the Championship since March after missing 14 fixtures after sustaining damage to his ankle ligaments in September.

A lengthy injury and struggling to gain consistent minutes ensured Dowell only begun to discover his best form as the season entered the final stretch, which would have left Everton facing letting him leave for free this summer if he were not sold a year ago.

Carlo Ancelotti would not have seen enough from Dowell in his season with Norwich – where Farke has praised his “really special technique” – to warrant another contract, making Brands’ agreement a masterclass in how to secure maximum rewards for a player of limited value.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti faces a selection dilemma after a £16m-rated Everton star’s error-strewn weekend horrors…