Koeman says Deulofeu can leave Everton in January

Spaniard Deulofeu has dropped down the pecking order since Koeman took over, making just 13 appearances in all competitions this season, with the majority as a substitute.

"I spoke to Gerard and it's a difficult situation for the player," Koeman told a news conference on Thursday.

"If he finds a solution to go and get game time then it's no problem. But the final decision will be down to the board."

Koeman, who has already signed defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United and teenage winger Ademola Lookman from Charlton Athletic, wants to add more players to his squad but says the focus is on quality, not quantity.

"I hope for more players coming in," he added. "We are working hard to make the team stronger. But we are looking for quality, not just numbers."

Everton, who are seventh in the league after beating Manchester City 4-0 last weekend, visit 17th-placed Crystal Palace on Saturday and Koeman is optimistic that full back Leighton Baines can shake off a rib injury in time for the game.

Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has also fully recovered from a leg injury and the manager will make a late call on whether to start him in place of Joel Robles, who has kept three clean sheets in his last five starts.

"He (Stekelenburg) is fully fit," Koeman added. "I didn't say anything about this because last week Stekelenburg was still not 100 percent fit to start the game. He is now 100 percent but that's a decision we need to make."