Everton defenders Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane have been tipped to remain at the club beyond the current campaign by Daily Star journalist Paul Brown.

The duo are under contract until the summer of 2025 and could find themselves as key figures in new manager Frank Lampard’s plans for the future.

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Keane arrived at Goodison Park in a deal that could rise to £30 million in July 2017 after excelling for Burnley and soon established himself as Everton’s first-choice centre-back.

Since then, the 29-year-old has racked up 181 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees, earning 12 England caps along the way.

However, he has struggled to find his best form this season. As per FBref, Keane has ranked in the 15^th percentile for pass competition, 26^th for pressures, 43^rd for tackles and 46^th for interceptions amongst players in his position over the last year.

It’s been a rather more productive campaign for Godfrey, though, who has largely impressed since completing a £20m switch from Norwich City 18 months ago.

The 24-year-old has currently sits in the 94^th percentile for blocks, 89^th for tackles and 88^th for pressures when compared to the output of fellow central defenders in the previous 365 days.

Yet Godfrey has been unable to prevent Everton from slipping down to 17^th in the Premier League table after keeping just six clean sheets in their 31 top-flight fixtures to date.

What has Brown said about Keane and Godfrey?

The Toffees announced a loss of over £120m for 2020/21, the third consecutive year their deficit topped triple figures.

Big-name stars such as Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have been linked with moves away as a result, but Brown ‘can’t see’ Keane or Godfrey exited the blue half of Merseyside.

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He told GiveMeSport: “Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey are both under contract until 2025, so I can't see that either of those two will be moved.

“There probably wouldn't be much of a market for Keane anyway; he's not playing well this season.”

Should Everton keep hold of Keane and Godfrey?

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), fellow centre-back Yerry Mina was a transfer target for Napoli during January.

The Colombia international has long been linked with a move to Serie A, and with just 15 months left to run on his contract, an imminent exit appears to be on the cards.

Therefore, Everton would perhaps be wise to keep hold of Godfrey and Keane going into next season, ensuring their backline has some stability.