Manchester United are reportedly against Anthony Elanga linking up with Everton on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Elanga has frequently featured in United's first-team squads since the arrival of Erik ten Hag, and has received minutes in various competitions.
However, the 20-year-old has been restricted to seven starts, with a further 11 appearances coming from the substitutes' bench.
Since the turn of the year, Elanga has been given game time in just two games, starting in the EFL Cup quarter-final against Charlton Athletic on January 10.
Nevertheless, the Sweden international missed out on the fixtures versus Manchester City and Crystal Palace, and speculation has persisted regarding a temporary switch away from Old Trafford.
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Everton are one of the clubs who have been heavily linked with the playmaker, the Toffees requiring reinforcements for the final third of the pitch.
The two parties have also recently conducted business in the transfer market with Donny van de Beek and James Garner both departing United for Goodison Park on loan and permanent deals over the past 12 months.
That said, according to the Daily Star, Ten Hag would prefer Elanga to play his football in a different environment should he leave the club this month.
The report suggests that Ten Hag has concerns over the attacker's development during a time when there have been hostile developments at the Merseyside outfit.
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Last weekend, the club's board were prevented from attending the match with Southampton due to security reasons, and there is little sign of the situation improving on the back of Everton's subsequent 2-1 defeat.
As such, it appears that Frank Lampard is likely to miss out on Elanga, who has also been heavily linked with Borussia Dortmund.
Everton do have other options, however, with a recent report claiming that they are the favourites to win the race to sign Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma on loan.
Lampard takes his team to West Ham United on Saturday afternoon with both clubs bidding to move outside of the Premier League relegation zone.
Darren Plant
