The future of Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma should become clearer in the coming weeks.
Following an impressive loan spell at Everton last season, the France international is back at Stamford Bridge ahead of the new campaign but whether he'll be apart of Frank Lampard's plans remains to be seen.
Zouma has been included in the Blues' pre-season trip to Dublin where the new head coach will make an assessment.
Although he could find himself being the fourth choice central defender next season behind David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
If the west London outfit are willing to sell Zouma then he would be welcomed back at Goodison Park with open arms, manager Marco Silva has admitted.
"I am hopeful," Silva told the Liverpool ECHO ."I think I am hopeful like all of our fans are but I have to tell you that we have different solutions because we cannot just have one solution.
"I have different solutions in my mind but I am hopeful and if we can give our fans this fantastic feeling it will be key.
"But, if not, we have to go in a different way but it is part of the market, part of creating a squad.
"After that position we have three or four more to strengthen."
Zouma did have a message for Chelsea fans upon returning to Cobham last Friday.
"Hello guys, nice to see you again," he said in a video on Chelsea's Twitter page. "That's the first pre-season training done, I'm happy to be back, let's keep going, don't want to stop now."
If Zouma were to leave on a permanent basis this summer it could allow Fikayo Tomori - who impressed under Lampard at Derby last season - to step in and become the fourth-choice centre-back.
With the transfer window shutting in a month, expect Zouma's future to be resolved soon.
