Everton have suspended their head of academy recruitment over ‘tapping up’ claims.
A Premier League investigation is underway into allegations Martin Waldron made an illegal approach to sign a schoolboy player from Cardiff City in 2016.
Waldron is accused of approaching the player, who was 11 or 12 at the time, and his family about a move to the Blues but he did not agree to join the club.
The schoolboy later joined Manchester United but Everton face the threat of an academy transfer ban if found guilty of making an illegal approach.
Goodison Park chiefs are already facing the threat of an independent inquiry into their pursuit of manager Marco Silva during his time in charge at Watford.
Waldron has worked within the ranks at Everton for 23 years, initially as a scout before being promoted to Head of Local Schoolboy Recruitment in 1998.
In 2014, he was appointed as the club’s new Head of Academy Recruitment, which made him responsible for recruitment on national and international levels.