Everton are set to bin eight players as they look to revamp the academy in the summer transfer window with a mass exodus at youth level, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The newspaper claims that “exciting forward” Stephen Duke-McKenna will be set to leave Goodison Park along with Tom Scully, Tom Murphy, Sid Kerr, Charlie Ball, Nathan Moore Jordan Corke and Nathan Baxter.
It is understood that Norwich are closing in on Scully while Murphy has been offered a deal to move to Ireland.
OPINION
Everton are clearly not messing around this summer and it appears that there will be changes at all levels of the club. First team manager Sam Allardyce has already been axed after just a few months while director of football Steve Walsh has also been fired. PSV technical director Marcel Brands has come in and he is someone who has relied a lot on younger players from his time in the Netherlands. It will be interesting to see if this mass exodus has been guided by the Dutchman, who is bound to ring changes this summer. Getting rid of some of these players is a bit of a surprise, especially Duke-McKenne, who has involved in the matchday squad for a Europa League game with Apollon Limassol this term. A few of them are reported to already be close to joining other clubs and it will be interesting to see how Scully gets on at Norwich with him reportedly close to moving to Carrow Road. Hopefully this is not the end of the road for these youngsters.