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Outgoing Chelsea striker Diego Costa knocked back advances from Everton during the final days of the summer transfer window.
The 28-year-old refused to return to Blues training prior to pre-season after manager Antonio Conte informed him that he is not part of his plans via a text message.
According to TalkSPORT, the Toffees tabled a club-record £66m bid for Costa last month with Ronald Koeman having looked to reinforce his striking options.
However, the marksman was only keen on a return to Atletico Madrid, which he realised after the club agreed on a £57m deal with Chelsea on Thursday.
The failure to sign a new striker has affected the Toffees' progress since the start of the season with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Sandro Ramirez yet to get on the scoresheet.
Forgotten forward Oumar Niasse became an unlikely saviour for Everton during their 2-1 comeback win over Bournemouth on Saturday, and Koeman is likely to stick with him for the coming games.
Written by Sri Aswin
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