Everton have made the trio of Jordan Pickford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Alex Iwobi untouchable this window according to Dean Jones.
The Toffees are hoping to bounce back after a couple of disappointing campaigns.
What is the latest Everton transfer news?
The Toffees are in the midst of one of the most important summer transfer windows in their recent history, as they hope to build a squad to avoid a relegation battle next season.
The club has already made their first signing, with experienced Englishman Ashley Young joining on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Aston Villa. Reports have also stated that the side is looking to add another forward, with Marca stating that the Toffees had seen an offer rejected by Almeria for striker El Bilal Toure, whilst Leeds United have rebuffed a £15m offer for Italian youngster Wilfred Gnonto according to the Mail.
Sean Dyche's side have also explored a deal for Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga according to Fabrizio Romano. The Swedish youngster has attracted the interest of many clubs but the Toffees are favorites as it stands, with the deal reportedly set to cost between £8-10m.
In terms of outgoings, Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana has been linked with a move to fellow Premier League side West Ham United. The Hammers recently sold captain and star midfielder Declan Rice for a record £105m fee and are looking to potentially replace him with Onana. The midfielder turned down a potential move to West Ham in the summer of 2022 in favour of a move to Goodison Park, but now could make the switch to the London Stadium for a fee in the region of £50m.
However, according to journalist Jones, Everton have made three players untouchable this summer, with the club not wanting to lose the "instrumental" figures this summer, as he stated whilst talking to Give Me Sport: "There has been plenty of speculation around Everton and who they will sell to raise funds this summer and a lot has been made of Jordan Pickford potentially being the one that brings in a lot of cash. That actually goes against what I am hearing on the situation now that we are here in the middle of the transfer window and heading towards the new season. Pickford is not available for transfer, it seems a pretty clear stance from what I’m hearing.
Obviously, he and Calvert-Lewin are the two big names in that team that could make the jump up to a team playing in Europe, but I don’t see it happening as things stand. The same goes for Alex Iwobi to be honest, he is one they want as an instrumental figure in the team and while there have been a couple of reports suggesting he will be available in this window, I do not believe that to be the case.”
Will Everton sell those players?
Despite the club's stance, should they receive a massive offer for any of those players, they could depart Goodison Park this summer.
Jordan Pickford has been the subject of interest from a number of top sides throughout this summer from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, however both sides seem to have opted for different targets for between the sticks, and Everton have stuck a £70m price tag on the England number one's head this summer.
Calvert-Lewin has battled with injury problems for the past couple of seasons, however, he was the subject of Arsenal interest this year according to reports, and should he be able to maintain his fitness, could easily attract that level of interest again.
Iwobi enjoyed his finest season last campaign since his move from Arsenal in the summer of 2019, and has reportedly attracted the interest of Premier League clubs West Ham and Fulham, as well as from Italian giants Inter Milan regarding a potential move this summer.
It remains to be seen whether the trio will still be on Merseyside for the club's first game of the season at home against Fulham.