Dele Alli says it has been an “incredibly difficult journey” trying to get his career back on track after confirming he is cutting ties with Everton.
The 28-year-old's contract at Goodison Park expired in June, but he has continued to train with the club.
The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, who has 37 caps for England, has been offered the opportunity to train with Como by former Premier League winner Cesc Fabregas, having not played a competitive game since February 2023, when he was on loan at Turkish giants Besiktas.
He is expected to tie Como on Boxing Day, with Telegraph stating that a contract could be signed by mid-January if all goes according to plan.
Posting to InstagramDele took the opportunity to thank everyone connected with Everton, with it now looking likely that he will accept Fabregas' offer after featuring in Como's 2-0 win over Roma in Serie A on Sunday.
“As was widely publicized this week, 2025 could set me on a new path with some exciting opportunities,” Dele, who has openly discussed various traumas from his childhood, has written “Before that happens, it is very important for me to make it clear how grateful I am to all the fans, staff and players of Everton FC for the support they have given me.
“It's been an incredibly difficult journey trying to put the final pieces together to regain match fitness and I can't thank the Everton staff enough for the hard work they've put into the process.”
“Unfortunately things haven't worked out the way we all would have hoped and I think the time is right for me to turn over a new page. I want to wish everyone at this great club the best of luck .”
Everton Boss Sean Dyche commented on Dele's departure in his pre-match press conference, saying: “The main point we agreed, as a team, was to get him back to a good place and I think he's there.
“He's had so much injury adversity, you can't imagine the challenges he's had. We wish him well and that's all we can do. He's been nothing but an ease for me to work with. For a new challenge, but of course we wish them well”.