Ruben Vinagre early Everton exit 'a possibility'

Ruben Vinagre's loan deal at Everton could be cut short in January due to a lack of regular football, according to a new report.

Vinagre signed on a season-long loan from Sporting Lisbon in the summer but has failed to make an impact. The Portuguese left-back has made just four appearances across all competitions, thanks in part to the form of Vitalii Mykolenko, who has been an ever-present in the Premier League for the Blues.

The loan is said to include an option to buy Vinagre for €20m in the summer. But the report from Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via, SportWitness ) states that Everton are 'hardly' likely to trigger that clause - and that there is a 'possibility' the 23-year-old will look for a new club next month.

Having activated a €10m clause themselves to sign the defender from Wolves in July of this year, Sporting look to have made a decision to try and turn a quick profit by offering him to clubs willing to pay more. With the Blues seemingly unlikely willing to activate their clause for double that amount, the Portuguese side could look to recall their player before finding an alternative suitor.

Recent weeks have seen Frank Lampard's team linked with a number of left-backs, most recently Empoli's Fabio Parisi - a player who would offer a very different profile to Mykolenko. Reports earlier this week also named Everton as one of several sides monitoring in-form Almeria left-back Sergio Akieme.

And with the Blues still having to shrewdly manage their finances, the general consensus has been that current fringe players must leave in order to help bring in new talent. The Blues' prioritisation of a new striker has been known for some time, with the termination of Salomon Rondon's contract freeing up a portion of the wage bill that can now be used for a new arrival.

Speaking ahead of Everton's Boxing Day clash with Wolves, Lampard outlined the club's transfer stance heading into January.

The Blues boss said: “In the January window we want to help the squad and have more options in the forward areas if they’re right. If players become available in those areas then we have to try and improve because, particularly with having Dominic (Calvert-Lewin) injured for a big part of the season, I think it’s been an area where we know we want more. We have to be smart. Our situation is clear.

“Some other clubs are making moves in their own ways and we also have to be smart over how we do it and more than that, concentrate on what we have in the building, the players that we have, how willing are they to fight, play well and improve every day, that’s my main concern. But when the window opens, we’ll be looking to improve where we can.”

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