View: Out-of-contract Everton star looks destined for exit as summer transfer lined up

Michael Keane could be on his way out of Everton this summer.

Plenty has been made of Keane’s future, given the fact that he is out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

The 33-year-old defender has started just one of the last four games for the Toffees, having been a regular before the return of Jarrad Branthwaite.

Keane has been heavily mooted to leave Everton this summer, and the latest update on Mario Gila could confirm that decision.

Everton line up Mario Gila transfer

Signing a striker will be the priority for Everton this summer, but reinforcing an ageing backline will also be high up on the list.

And that could include Gila, who has been linked with a move to Hill Dickinson.

The 25-year-old Spaniard is a right-footed centre-back, which is the same position that Keane is usually utilised in by David Moyes.

However, with James Tarkowski already ahead of him in the pecking order, Gila’s arrival would do nothing but push him further down it.

Gila has been a regular for Lazio this season, having started 25 of their 28 Serie A fixtures, making it highly unlikely that he would move to the Premier League just to have his gametime reduced.

Would Michael Keane exit be a mistake for Everton?

Keane has played an influential role on Merseyside for several years now, and his experience in the top flight has been a big factor behind that.

To lose that would be a blow, but there are plenty of other considerations that would have to be made.

If Gila, or any other centre-back, were to arrive, it would almost certainly reduce his gametime signficantly, and whether he would accept that at this stage of his career is also unknown.

With the likes of Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford in particular, the Toffees still have key figures with similar experience to the 33-year-old, both of whom are far more likely to have a big role to play next season.

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