Everton fear Gerard Deulofeu will return to Barcelona next summer due to their £6.3 million buy-back clause.

Deulofeu returned to Everton in the summer on a €6 million transfer after finding first-team opportunities limited at Barcelona.

Deulofeu also struggled to make an impact while on loan at Sevilla last season. 

The buy-back option lasts two years.

Deulofeu’s development is being closely monitored by Barcelona and it has been suggested that, even if the player does not feature in Luis Enrique’s first-team plans, they could re-sign him with a view to selling on at a profit.

But Roberto Martinez says Barcelona can't do that.

“They can’t do that," said Martinez. "There are certain things in the deal. They can’t take him back in the winter so they can’t take him back in January. It can only be at the end of the season. It is €9m for the first year and €12m in the second year.

“If they take him back they can’t sell him for a season, so he has to stay in the first-team squad for a season. At the end of that if they decide to sell him we have got first rights of getting him back or we have got a big percentage of that deal. There is nothing we can do if they activate it. That was the deal and the only way we could access the player in the terms that we wanted. I’m delighted with the deal.”