Everton are reconciling themselves to losing another of their star players, but as Romelu Lukaku heads for the exit, his departure could actually benefit the Toffees.
Lukaku is expected to move to Chelsea this summer once he has finished international duty with Belgium, and the Blues could fork out over £50 million to seal the deal.
That could be just the catalyst Everton need to start their own spending, as they rarely re-invest in their squad.
Bill Kenwright will be remaining on the board next season, but he has recently sold the club to new owners.
For the first time in decades, that means Everton have some financial muscle, which can be boosted even further by the Lukaku sale.
If the club’s new owners are reluctant to pour in their own money immediately, they will be reassured by the fact that they have plenty of money coming in.
What is more, they can use the proceedings of that sale to attract a new manager.
Sky Sports believe that Southampton boss Ronald Koeman is in talks to take over at Goodison Park, replacing Roberto Martinez who was sacked with one game to go last season.
As part of the negotiations, he has been promised that he will have plenty to spend to improve Everton’s under-achieving squad, which came 11th.
Losing Lukaku would undoubtedly be a big blow, but if they use that money to build the rest of the squad, they will find themselves less reliant on one man and with an altogether better-rounded set of players.
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