Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Time is ticking on Dominic Calvert-Lewin's Everton future.

The 28-year-old is now into the final month of his with club and there is yet to be any announcement of an exit or new deal.

In a recent BBC Sport interview, Calvert-Lewin talked of how he has led the line through one of the "most difficult" periods in the club's history and that "Everton will always be a place that is special to me, so we will see what happens".

One thing that perhaps complicates the situation for the Toffees and Calvert-Lewin's future is his unfortunate recent history of injury and fitness issues.

BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha has suggested that the striker should be kept on, but as a "squad player" on a "reduced wage and perhaps appearance-based clauses".

Calvert-Lewin ed the club from Sheffield United for £1.5m in 2016 and has since scored 71 goals in 273 games across all competitions.

The England international's impact steadily grew and his most prolific season in the Premier League came in 2020-21 when he netted 16 goals in 33 games.

His shot conversion rate peaked at 19% while his minutes-per-goal ratio was at its lowest at one every 180 minutes.

That was also the season where he spent the most time on the pitch racking up 2874 minutes.

The previous season had also been one where he showed his capabilities in front of goal - also reaching double figures with 13 - and where he played the most games of his league career with 36.

However, 2021-22 is when issues with injuries and fitness really started to appear.

His appearances in the league fell from 33 to just 17, but he was still able to contribute in front of goal with a shot conversion rate equal to that of 2019-20.

The following season was particularly difficult, with just 17 appearances again, his fewest minutes on the pitch since his debut campaign, a minutes-per-goal ratio that more than doubled to 586 and shot conversion rate down at 6%.

In the past two seasons, although he has managed to pick up the numbers when it comes to games, how much of those he has spent on the pitch has evolved.

Although he played 32 times in 2023-24, he started 26 of those and often did not get to finish the match, being substituted off on 22 occasions.

Last campaign, he started just over half the 26 matches he played and was subbed off in just under half of those.

It meant he struggled to return to the same levels of output as he produced during his peak campaigns, with just 10 goals across the past 58 games.

If a new deal can be reached with Everton, unless he can rekindle his previous form, Calvert-Lewin may have to adapt to a more ing role in the team than that of the first-choice striker.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your questions for BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha on your Premier League club.

Chris asked whether Everton should keep Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the expiry of his contract this summer.

Realistically, you have got to say this next season is going to be huge for Dominic Calvert-Lewin personally.

People have seen his talents but the goalscoring record that got him in and around the England squad is becoming longer and longer ago.

He needs to find a stretch where he is healthy, fit and available because you want to be able to rely on a striker and Everton have not been able to rely on Calvert-Lewin for a long time now.

To have a potential England international in the squad is brilliant - but only if they are available. The club will need to have a serious look at what they can do to first keep him healthy, but then secondly to keep him sharp. This comes from competition in the squad.

He is worth keeping for now because is there cover if Everton decide to let him go? Do they have someone who can fill those boots straight away?

Beto has done well in parts and been trusted in the back half of the season. I do not think Calvert-Lewin himself, or anyone at Everton, really expects him to be a guaranteed starter going forward. Unfortunately for him, he just has not played enough football in the past few seasons.

If the club can find a way to offer him a new deal - on a reduced wage and perhaps appearance-based clauses - then I would keep him as a squad player.

Any new contract would need to reflect his lack of football. He is just not going to get any deal on the same as when he was pushing to play for England, and if the player does not accept that or wants a fresh start then he should go.

Hopefully for Calvert-Lewin, he can work his way back to being a regular starter and regular goalscorer soon.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Image source, PA Media

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside on Everton's financial situation for the transfer window.

"I think Everton have to box clever," Maguire said. "I imagine Evertonians will be slightly frustrated because moving to this magnificent new stadium, it would be great to have a significant number of stellar gs.

"I still think Everton have the capacity to make one statement g. A player of £40 to £50m, that's certainly within their capabilities but I think they will also have to be dealing with getting a few players off the payroll on the 30th of June when contracts expire, and using the exit door smartly to allow them to invest in the future.

"It's always a balancing act. Liverpool did it really well with the sale of Philippe Coutinho and they used that sale to build the spine of the side with the recruitment of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

"If the club were to make a major sale, the fanbase would expect that to be invested in players who can make an immediate difference, and therefore players that have an element of experience at a reasonable level of football."

Everton would have to match Thierno Barry's release clause of 40m euros (£33.7m) to sign the French striker from Villarreal. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Mike Richards
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

This summer will see a raft of changes, both on and off the pitch at the football club.

The most obvious is our move to the newly named Hill Dickinson Stadium - ensuring next season will have an alien feel for all Evertonians.

What this means and where it will catapult the club to in the longer term will take some time to establish, but it will surely have a positive impact in attracting new players.

The number of departing players already highlights exactly how much work there is for the manager and recruitment team to do.

Certain positions will certainly take precedent over others.

The permanent g of Charly Alcaraz has certainly been a positive start to proceedings.

The full-back positions are both an area of concern, with right-back a priority, as it has been for the last couple of summers.

Nathan Patterson has struggled to impress since his arrival in 2022, and any notion he was the successor to the Seamus Coleman full-back role has sadly diminished.

The club have already made a statement of intent in looking to improve the ability in the final third, with Liam Delap approached and offered a deal to sign.

Although the move did not materialise, it tells you that a new number nine is top of the manager's wishlist and rightly so.

I would love to see the same hunger applied to recruiting more pace in attacking areas.

It is evident we will not be able to tackle every area this window, but I would hope to see raw speed seriously considered.

The transition from defence to attack can often be pivotal.

One thing is for sure, we all need to strap ourselves in for a whirlwind period of change this summer.

Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external

Image source, Getty Images

Everton have confirmed their first two matches of the 2025-26 pre-season.

The Toffees will face League Two side Accrington Stanley on 15 July at Wham Stadium, followed by a match against Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers on 19 July at Ewood Park.

Everton, Manchester United and West Ham could make a move for Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, with Al-Hilal prepared to offload the 30-year-old. (Talksport), external

Chelsea are considering a move for Everton and England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, 22, while Tottenham could rival the Blues for his signature this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha has given us his insight and opinion every fortnight on your Premier League club throughout this season.

But this week, he's in the hotseat for your questions.

Maybe ask him who should be on your club's radar this summer, or where a rumoured target or new g might fit into the team.

Perhaps see what he thinks about how successful a new recruit might be, who it is vital to keep, or what is needed to make next season a success.

Send in your questions here and we'll put a selection to him

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport chief football news reporter Simon Stone is answering your questions on the summer transfer window.

Adam asked: Will David Moyes have money to spend this summer, or are Everton, and other non 'big six' clubs, held back by the two-tier PSR rules?

Simon answered: I think this summer will be fascinating for Everton. To answer your substantive point, they will be held back by the rules because they have made losses that clearly put them in P&S trouble historically and they are still being worked through.

Also, while the costs involved in building the new stadium have been refinanced in a much less onerous way, they still have to be paid and the benefits, such as increased matchday revenue, are only just starting to be felt in of season ticket sales. If their approach at Roma is any guide, the Friedkin Group would presumably be keen to spend big this summer. However, that seems unlikely without player sales.

In addition, that is not David Moyes' approach. It sounds boring, and it might not be what you want to hear, but I think if Everton can remain quietly in mid-table next season, that would get them to a point where they can really kick on in 2026-27.

Follow the Q&A and the rest of the day's football news on our daily live page

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Paul Brown from the Paddock Blues podcast spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside about Carlos Alcaraz g for Everton on a permanent deal: "It was a no-brainer, at the end of the season it was the deal we all wanted to be done straight away so I'm really happy about it.

"He just has something different about him - he gets his head up and runs with the ball and is always looking for options around him. We don't have a lot of players who are comfortable on the ball but he is definitely in that category."

On Abdoulaye Doucoure's departure, he added: "Of course they are both footballers, but I would call Alcaraz more of a 'footballer' than Doucoure. We are trying to go down a different route and we will want the ball more going forward.

"I would have kept him personally, but if he went than so be it. We need to move on as a club from the past five years and start fresh with a new ground and owners."

Everton are interested in Brighton midfielder Matt O'Riley, 24, but are unsure if the Seagulls will sell the Denmark international. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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We asked for you to tell us what Everton need to do in the summer transfer window.

Here are some of your comments:

Bray: I would like to see Francisco Trincao from Sporting. It's quite unrealistic but I feel he could flourish under David Moyes.

Jeff: We finally seem to be getting rid of the deadwood. Doucoure has not been given a new contract and the on-loan failures are all going back to their clubs. That's all positive. Seamus Coleman has been a great servant to the club but he really needs to hang up his boots. He is part of the deadwood too. We also need to offload Calvert-Levin. He is a Championship striker at best. On top of that, he is injured half of the time.

Martin: Everton have always been known for talismanic strikers, like Dean, Young, Royle, Latchford, Ferguson and Lukaku. We desperately need to find another one!

Chris: First thing is to sort the wheat from the chaff with the out-of-contract players. Second is to sign Alcatraz. Delap has chosen to go to Chelsea so we need a reasonably priced striker. Moyes is good at bargain buys. Look to the Championship - Cahill came from Preston and what a star he was. Also look at our academy players and use them in cup games - that's how Sir Alex Ferguson unearthed his golden boys. We need a couple of back-up defenders, midfielders and a number nine.

Sam: Nick Woltemade is one to look at for versatility in attack, and Kyle Walker-Peters on a free looks like a steal as cover for both full-backs. Apart from that, we need a partner for Idrissa and a marquee right winger and we're good to go.

Thank you for the you submitted on the Premier League club pages.

Our aim is to contain all of the BBC's in-depth coverage of that team in one place, so it is helpful to hear from you - you are who the pages are for after all.

We are going through all your responses and will take suggestions on board for next season.