Welcome to the Liverpool ECHO's Saturday live blog for your latest Everton news, rumours and transfer gossip.
James has hit out at the decision by the Colombian national team to drop him from the squad for the Copa America.
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Everton 'took a chance' on signing Simms
Everton admit they 'took a chance' on signing Ellis Simms from Manchester City.
But the Blues feels vindicated as the 20-year-old continues to impress both with the club and out on loan.
Simms heads into the League One play-off final with Blackpool tomorrow having struck 10 goals in 22 appearances since joining in January.
Everton coach Paul Tait worked extensively with Simms before his promotion to the under-23s set-up and says the club felt there was plenty to work with, when taking him from Man City four years ago.
Phil Kirkbride has the full story here.
Bernard told to move on
Kevin Campbell believes the time has come for Bernard to leave Everton this summer.
The 28-year old winger, who joined the Blues on a free transfer after leaving Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018, struggled for regular game time last season, and nearly left the club in January.
And Campbell told Goodison News:
“His [Bernard] time’s up. Everton were probably hoping he would be that type of player but it hasn’t quite worked.
“He scored a couple of goals, he’s a nice guy and a nice player but the level has moved now.”
Southampton 'eye' Davies
Southampton have reignited their interest in Everton midfielder Tom Davies after failing to land him last summer.
That's according to Football Insider, who are reporting that the Saints will make a move for the 22-year-old if they are given any encouragement by Everton.
Davies is out of contract in the summer of 2023 and he made 17 Premier League starts among 30 appearances in all competitions this season.
Everton title winners finally get their medals
A quartet of Everton title winners are finally set to receive coveted League Championship medals - in some cases more than half-a-century after they contributed to Blues title triumphs.
Roger Kenyon and Frank D'Arcy missed out on medals in 1970, while Paul Wilkinson and Warren Aspinall were denied in 1985 and 1987 respectively, because they didn't meet the strict qualification criteria which existed for title medals then.
The number of games to qualify for a medal used to be 14, or a third of the season, but the EFL have now decided to fall in line with Premier League requirements which stipulate that players have to make a minimum of five appearances to be given medals.
And the EFL has confirmed that the medals can be rewarded retrospectively – if clubs make a written submission and the offer of payment.
The cost of each medal, for good quality reproductions, is significant - but Everton have agreed to foot the bill.
Dave Prentice has the full story here.
Everton 'leading race' to Dike
Everton are reportedly leading the way amid growing competition to sign Orlando City striker Daryl Dike.
The American striker spent the second half of the season on loan at Barnsley and hit nine goals in 19 games as the Tykes qualified for the Championship play-offs.
And according to TEAMtalk, the chase for the forward is being fronted by Everton and Wolves, who are both in the market for new strikers.
There is said to be plenty of other interest in Dike, with Southampton, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Norwich all reportedly making enquiries about the player.
Rodriguez releases statement over Colombia decision
James Rodriguez has hit out at the decision by the Colombian national team to drop him from the squad for the Copa America and World Cup qualifiers.
The Everton playmaker has been deemed as not at his “optimal level” by his country and so omitted from the squad for games with Peru and Argentina at the start of next month as well as the Copa America tournament.
Rodriguez insists he would be fit for the second of those World Cup qualifiers and, then, the tournament, which Colombia are joint-hosts.
The 29-year-old says he is “surprised” by the decision, explaining he has “sacrificed a lot” to be in a position to be fit to play and is now left with “enormous pain” after the shock snub.
Sam Carroll and Phil Kirkbride have the full story here.
Celik 'eyed'
Reports in France claim Everton have emerged as suitors for Lille right-back Zeki Celik.
According to L’Equipe, the 24-year-old has been eyed by a couple of Premier League clubs and could leave the Ligue 1 side this summer.
The report suggests that, along with Everton, Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on him.
Demiral 'could be sold'
Reported Everton target Merih Demiral could be sold this summer, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees have been linked with the Juventus centre-back for a number of weeks now, and his future in Turin remains uncertain.
Gazzetta dello Sport claimed in April that Everton were eyeing Demiral as part of a potential deal involving Moise Kean going the other way.
Brekalo 'interest'
Everton have been linked with Croatian winger Josip Brekalo.
According to a report from Bild, the Blues and Premier League rivals Leeds United are keen on signing the 22-year-old, along with Napoli, AC Milan and Fiorentina.
Brekalo has a contract with Wolfsburg until 2023 and the report claims he would cost around €15 million this summer.
Must-read stories
Here's a recap of some of the must-read Everton stories of the past 24 hours.
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