Everton transfer news: £18m ace set for exit having played just four games

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Ruben Vinagre is reportedly set to leave Everton at the end of this season once the defender’s loan deal has come to an end, with the Toffees unlikely to activate the £18m option to sign the 23-year-old.

According to the Athletic, the Sporting Lisbon-owned fullback will return to Portugal in the summer having failed to make any sort of impact at Goodison Park, with Vinagre playing just four games in all competitions for Everton, two of which were appearances off the bench at the start of the season.

As reported by A Bola, Everton have the option to buy the former Wolves defender on a permanent deal worth £18m. However, this will unlikely be activated given just how little football Vinagre has played for the Merseyside club this season, with a return to Portugal firmly on the table.

Moreover, as per the report, Sporting were looking into recalling Vinagre having hardly kicked a ball for Everton this season, yet for some reason, the Toffees wouldn’t let the defender leave for a move back to Portugal, a decision that now looks disastrous on paper.

Indeed, Vinagre is at an important point in his footballing career having established himself as a Premier League regular at Wolves before moving home to Sporting last year, and this loan spell at Everton has done nothing but set the fullback’s career back a few years.

However, with Everton now set to let Vinagre leave at the end of his loan spell, the defender can now start preparing ahead for next season, where the fullback will be hopeful of becoming a regular for Sporting or for another club in Europe where his talents will be appreciated.

Everton should have let Vinagre leave in January when they had the chance

With Sean Dyche being appointed as Everton manager just days before the closure of the transfer window, it makes sense why the English coach and the club decided to keep Vinagre, with every player firmly under consideration for a starting spot once a new boss enters the building. However, the Toffees got it wrong on this occasion.

Vinagre has only made four appearances this season for Everton, and whilst there was a small chance that the wing-back could have caught Dyche’s eye, the defender always felt like he was going to remain on the bench where has sat for the majority of the season.