Everton confirm Kone exit

Arouna Kone’s difficult time at Everton has come to an end after the Ivorian striker was left off the Premier League club’s retained list.

Kone followed Roberto Martinez to Goodison Park from Wigan Athletic in July 2013 but picked up a serious knee injury six games into his Everton career.

After 14 months out the forward finally made an impact on Merseyside and went on to make 31 appearances in the 2015-16 campaign, scoring seven goals.

That earned him a one-year extension to his contract but he rarely featured under Ronald Koeman, playing in just nine games – his last coming in a seven-minute cameo on the final day of the 2016-17 season against Arsenal.

Everton have also released youngster Conor McAleny after a string of loan moves in the lower leagues, his most recent with Oxford United in League One.