Everton will look to sell defender Matthew Pennington during the summer transfer window, a report from Football Insider has claimed.

Pennington is currently on a season-long with Championship side Hull City, and has made a total of 11 appearances in all competitions for the Tigers, who are currently 21st in the second-tier standings, two points clear of the relegation zone after a run of 12 games without a win in total.

The 25-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract at Goodison Park in the summer, and it seems his time with the club could soon be coming to a premature end.

According to the latest reports, Everton have instructed their head of recruitment, Marcel Brands, with finding Pennington a new club when the transfer window reopens in the summer, with the centre back not thought to be in the plans of manager Carlo Ancelotti.

A graduate of Everton's academy, Pennington has made a total of nine appearances in all competitions for the Toffees, the last of which came in 2017.

The defender has spent the last three straight season away from the club on loan, first with Leeds and then Ipswich, before making the temporary move to the KCOM Stadium for the current campaign, having also spent time on loan with Tranmere, Coventry and Walsall earlier in his career.

As well as Pennington, Hull also have Josh Bowler on loan from Everton for the season, with the winger so far scoring once in 26 appearances overall for Grant McCann's side.

The Verdict

This doesn't really seem like a big surprise to me.

Having struggled for game time with Hull for much of this season, Pennington's recent run in the side has coincided with the Tigers' recent loss of form.

While it would be unfair to put that entirely down to Pennington himself, it does seem hard to picture Everton being ready to rely on him in the Premier League when he returns to Goodison Park, given that less than stellar record in the Championship.

Indeed, with his contract situation as it is, this summer could be their last chance to ensure they receive a decent fee for the defender, meaning selling Pennington sooner rather than later looks to be a sensible decision financially as well for the Toffees.