Ben Godfrey could be back in the Premier League just six months after leaving Everton. The defender is the target of several clubs after a difficult start to life in Italy and Ipswich Town are currently leading the pack as talks get underway with the start of the January transfer window.

At this stage, discussions are centred on a loan move - meaning Everton would not be boosted by the activation of the sell-on clause that formed part of the £11m deal that took him to Atalanta.

Godfrey is a fixture of the matchday squad in Bergamo but has struggled for minutes. While he was introduced from the bench in the UEFA Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid at the start of the season, he has not featured in Serie A for the league leaders since an opening day win over Lecce.

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Everton sold both Godfrey and academy product Lewis Dobbin in June, the deals bringing in the cash that club officials believe enabled the club to comply with Profit and Sustainability Regulations for the first time in three years.

Dobbin has also had a difficult time after being loaned by Aston Villa to the Championship with West Bromwich Albion. He was recalled this week and loaned back out to Norwich City, with Villa hoping he would get more minutes at Carrow Road.

Dobbin wrote on social media after his departure from West Brom: “Gutted it didn’t work the way I hoped but a period to learn and grow from. Met some amazing people and fans, good luck for the rest of the season and thank you.”