Everton have been heavily linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon defensive midfielder William Carvalho in recent weeks with the Euro 2016 winner looking set to leave the Portuguese giants, and with new Toffees boss Marco Silva having worked with him during his time in charge there.

It seems clear that it may well be a position that needs strengthening this summer with a 6ft 1in Ronald Koeman signing reportedly already telling the club that he wants to go, and we suggested that Declan Rice, rated at £9m by Transfermarkt, could be another alternative given he is currently unhappy with a contract situation at West Ham United.

Despite establishing himself as a key first-team player last term and making 34 appearances in all competitions, the 19-year-old is only said to have been offered a new deal worth £8,000-a-week – considerably lower than what some of the other Irons youngsters are earning – according to the Daily Mail.

The Republic of Ireland international – who has impressed as a DM for his country but largely played as a centre-back for the east London club during the 2017/18 campaign – is understandably a little put out by the offer.

We asked Everton fans to vote on our poll to see whether they would want their club to sign Rice instead of Carvalho, but a majority 66% said they wouldn't.

Despite his obvious potential, those supporters obviously feel that he isn’t good enough to fill that position for the Toffees yet, or perhaps they haven't seen enough of him in that position to know whether or not he is the solution to their midfield issue.

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