According to reports in The Independent on Wednesday, Everton are said to have given up hope of persuading Watford to part with Marco Silva as they continue their search for Ronald Koeman's successor, but you still get the feeling that the saga may not be over just yet.

The Independent says that the Merseyside outfit were willing to offer in excess of £10m in compensation for the impressive 40-year-old, who has no buy-out clause in the contract he signed in the summer, but the Hornets aren't willing to budge as they don't want to lose the Portuguese boss halfway through the season.

However, Silva's refusal to talk about the subject in his pre-match press conference for the trip to Newcastle United this weekend will only add to the rumours that a potential deal may not be dead just yet.

It is a situation that has left majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright with something of a big conundrum more than four weeks after they sacked Ronald Koeman.

It has certainly been a frustrating period for both them and the supporters with Everton still struggling in 16th position in the table, with performances on the pitch not really improving too much under caretaker boss David Unsworth despite a remarkable turnaround to beat Silva's men 3-2 at Goodison Park earlier this month.

While it seems the only way they could get the former Hull City chief now is if he resigns, perhaps they should consider making Watford an offer they simply couldn't refuse.

Moshiri certainly showed throughout the summer transfer window that he has the financial clout to take Everton to the next level with the big-money signings of the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michael Keane, Jordan Pickford and Davy Klaassen, and maybe not it is worth making a similar investment in a new manager.

The Merseyside outfit are clearly desperate to appoint Silva, who has drawn comparisons to national compatriot Jose Mourinho despite being in the still early stages of his Premier League career, and they should act to get him rather than potentially wait until the end of the campaign when he could easily go elsewhere.

The 40-year-old has proven with Watford and Hull previously that he is generally adept tactically and can get the best out of his players, and he has certainly masterminded some impressive performances and results even if he couldn't save the Tigers from relegation last term.

Silva looks to have a bright future and there is no doubt that managers have become such an important factor for clubs in the modern era – maybe even more so than the players in some cases – and the fact that five Premier League bosses have already gone this season show just how accountable they can be.

If Everton are willing to spend £45m on Sigurdsson, why shouldn't they bid £20m or £25m to bring Silva to Goodison Park? After all, he could be their boss for the next 10 years if he is given time to be part of the project that will slowly come together.

With the astronomical fees that are being bandied about for new players – in 2017 especially – it shouldn't now be unacceptable to offer similar amounts for a new manager – especially if he is your first-choice option.

Silva has never ruled himself out of the running either, and he would surely relish the opportunity to work with better quality players – with all due respect to Watford – and a bigger transfer budget.

If Everton want to move forward and challenge the best teams in the Premier League they have to be decisive, prove their ambition and take some risks, and offering Watford an amount of money that they won't turn down for the Portuguese boss in order to get their man is the next step in that journey.

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