Bruno Lage has already hinted at Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs-White plan amid Everton and Crystal Palace links

It's been a summer transfer window in which a swathe of players have been linked with Everton.

In truth, it'd be difficult to name them all. There have been that many.

It's understandable why. The Toffees require a rebuild under Frank Lampard after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

Some of the names who've cropped up will be complete hogwash. Some might have a modicum of truth behind them.

Yet Everton's interest in Morgan Gibbs-White seems concrete. Various reports suggest that the Wolves attacking midfielder is a target for Lampard.

To date, he's made 86 appearances to date for the Molineux outfit and was sent out on loan to Sheffield United last season - where he thrived.

The 22-year-old recorded an impressive 13 goals and 10 assists in 40 outings as the Blades suffered Championship play-off semi-final defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

Indeed, Gibbs-White opted to stay at Bramall Lane when Wolves manager Bruno Lage wanted to recall him in January.

Now with two years left on his Molineux deal, Gibbs-White’s yet to commit his future.

There are claims that Wolves are willing to listen to offers for the England under-21 international, with a £25 million price tag mooted.

What’s been said

But when asked about Gibbs-White’s future in May - following Sheffield United’s play-off loss - Lage did not seem to be of that opinion.

The Molineux boss hinted that Gibbs-White is in his plans and it’s important the club have ‘from the academy and born in the UK’ around the first team.

As per Birmingham Live, Lage said: "I was very happy with Morgan. I will not treat him as a kid because now he's a professional and he's a man.

“When Hwang (Hee-chan) came he understood that maybe he didn't have the space to play so he went on loan and did a fantastic job.

"In January, I did everything to convince him to stay here. It was very clear and I gave him space and time to think about it. At the end of January, we spoke and between him, Scott (Sellars) and me we decided he would go and finish the season there. After, we will see.

"If I want him in January, I continue to want him here because he can be an important player for the club. He's one of the players that comes from the academy and I know it's so important for the club to have that.

"I am a foreigner and we have a lot of foreign players but it's important for the club to have players from the academy and born in the UK, because they love Wolves more than me because they grew up here.

“I am here just one year and love to be here but the way players like Morgan loves the club is in a different way.”