Everton must find £3.5million to buy Sean Dyche out of his Burnley contract
Clarets boss Dyche seen as an ideal candidate to replace Ronald Koeman at Goodison Park but Toffees will have to dig deep if they want him
EVERTON will have to stump up £3.5million if they want to make Sean Dyche their new manager.
The Toffees are still on the search for a new boss three weeks after they sacked Ronald Koeman.
And Burnley boss Dyche is one of the strongest candidates to take over at Goodison Park and attempt to steer the club to safety.
But the Times say the Clarets have inserted a huge buy-out clause in Dyche's contract at Turf Moor in an attempt to stop their man being poached.
Dyche is only on a one-year rolling deal with Burnley, having agreed the new £3m-a-year terms last year.
But the big release clause is the club's protection from Dyche being picked off by teams eager to snap him up.
The huge cost is one of the reasons why Everton have so far not made any formal approach for the 46-year-old, even though he is highly thought of.
The way the former Chesterfield defender has steered his un-fancied side up to seventh in the Premier League has seen his stock rise hugely this year.
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Burnley currently sit level on points with Liverpool and Arsenal in the table as Dyche organises impressive displays of unity from his cut-price squad.
And the way he has managed to build a squad capable of holding its own in the top flight has not gone un-noticed by the Goodison board.
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David Unsworth is currently in charge on a temporary basis, and the club have spoken to him about the possibility of making the arrangement more long-term.
Former England boss Sam Allardyce is another the club have been keen on, and the fact he is free and available works in his favour.
But Allarcyce is yet to hold formal talks with Everton, and is now fearing he will not get the call.
Owner Farhad Moshiri is understood to like Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone, but the prospects of luring him over from La Liga look remote.