Tottenham look set to miss out on a £10 million payment from Everton which was agreed when the midfielder moved to Goodison Park in 2022.
After falling out of favour at Spurs, Dele joined the Toffees in January 2022 on an initial free transfer which could rise to as much as £40 million if certain performance benchmarks are met.
So far none of the conditions has been met, with the first £10m due to be paid when the former England international has played 20 games for Everton.
Dele has featured just 13 times for the Toffees, with 11 of those appearances coming in the second half of the 2021/22 season and two more the following campaign.
The midfielder's two games for Everton in 2022/23 came prior to a move on loan to Turkish club Besiktas, where he went on to make a further 13 appearances.
Now back at Everton, the 27-year-old has not played any more games and is stuck on 13 appearances for the club since joining from Spurs.
And according to The Express, Everton will look to swerve the payment by making sure Dele does not reach 20 appearances for the club.
The Toffees are currently experiencing financial difficulties as they complete works on their new stadium and the club are keen to save money where they can.
Dele is currently sidelined with a groin injury after undergoing surgery in January. The former Spurs star is out of contract at the end of the season and is unlikely to be offered a new deal.
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