Everton have suffered a blow in their quest to sign highly-rated Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker. The 22-year-old was reportedly one of boss Ronald Koeman’s top summer priorities but according to The Sun, the Belgian champions have told the Toffees to back off in their pursuit.
 

Dendoncker is under contract at the Parc Astrid until 2020 and is valued at around £15M but the club’s chief executive Herman van Holsbeeck has stated that; “We are going to hold on to Dendoncker. Half the Premier League's clubs want to sign him. But if we want a good base to our team next season it's vital to keep Leander. With the money we'll get from being in the Champions League we can build a team around him.”
 

He went on to explain that; “Youri Tielemans, Kara Mbodji and Frank Acheampong will leave us this summer - but we absolutely want to keep all our other players."
 

In a recent interview, Dendoncker hinted that he would love to go to England to continue his career stating that; “The Premier League is a fantastic competition, but I am not there yet”, before adding that; “Playing in the Champions League is the highest level you can go as a footballer, and you don't just pass up the chance."