Everton are hoping that André Gomes’s unwillingness to return to Barcelona will help to drive down his price as they try to secure his permanent transfer.

The Portugal midfielder cost a £2 million loan fee when joining in August and has impressed with his range of skills, catching the eye in Sunday’s Merseyside derby despite his side’s 1-0 defeat by Liverpool.

Gomes endured an unhappy two-year spell at the Nou Camp after a £29 million move from Valencia and said that the pressure he felt turned his stay into a “kind of hell.”

Everton believe that the 25-year-old does not want to go back to the Catalan club and, although they do not have a guaranteed option to buy, hope Gomes’s desire to remain at