Everton director of football Marcel Brands has dismissed transfer reports linking the Blues with Eredivisie stars Hirving Lozano and David Neres.
Exciting attacker Neres has been instrumental behind Ajax's push for the Champions League this season, helping them to the semi-final stage where they hold a 1-0 first-leg lead over Tottenham.
Such form has reportedly caught the eye of a string of clubs with Everton linked with a summer move for the 22-year-old Brazilian.
PSV's Mexican international Lozano is another player who has been repeatedly named in connection with a move to Goodison Park.
It was speculated that the the 23-year-old could switch to the Blues during last summer's World Cup in Russia and he has history with Brands.
It was Brands who helped bring Lozano to Europe during his time as PSV's director of football, but the Dutchman said he's had no further contact with the Mexican winger or Ajax's Neres about a move to the Premier League this summer transfer window .
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"That [players being linked] always happens during this period," Brands is quoted as telling NOS.
"I read about Neres, I read about Lozano. You name them, but we have no contact with these players."
After a number of high-profile missteps in the transfer market over the past couple of summers, Brands insists Everton are working more shrewdly to identify their targets.
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The likes of Yannick Bolasie, Sandro Ramirez and Kevin Mirallas are all on high-earning contracts at Goodison, but will have no future at the club when they return from their respective loan deals this summer.
It's a situation Brands is acutely aware of and the 57-year-old knows Everton need to make their money work harder in the transfer market going forward.
He added: "The fact that you can spend money means that you have to be much more careful.
"If you make a mistake here, you will hardly be able to get rid of them.
"Players earn a lot of money and there are not many clubs that can handle such salaries or transfer fees."
