Anthony Gordon is handed Everton's No 10 shirt as the club look to tie him down to new contract

Everton have handed Anthony Gordon their No 10 shirt in an apparent attempt to keep him at the club despite interest from several of their Premier League rivals.

Gordon, 21, is on the radar of Newcastle and Tottenham, as reported by Sportsmail, although his club are understood to be unwilling to let one of their star players leave.

They are poised to hand him a significantly improved new contract to ward off potential suitors, and their charm offensive has also seen him given a new jersey.

The number has been sported by the likes of Duncan Ferguson, Wayne Rooney and Mikel Arteta in previous seasons, and underlines Gordon's newfound importance.

He enjoyed a superb breakthrough campaign at Goodison Park last campaign, having made 40 appearances across all competitions and scored four goals.

There is a recognition that, as a result, Gordon's terms need to be enhanced, to reflect his status and the progress he has made over the last 12 months.

Frank Lampard is also a huge admirer and will not consider losing him this summer.

Newcastle, however, have made their ambitions clear about signing Gordon, who was crucial in his boyhood club's successful bid to avoid Premier League relegation.

The interest from Eddie Howe comes on the back of Antonio Conte also wanting to bring the youngster, whose value is estimated to be over £25million, to Spurs.

Previous reports claimed that the Magpies had already entered negotiations for Gordon, but Everton insisted that that is not the case with talks not on the cards.

Despite their financial woes, the Merseyside club are keen to keep hold of the ace.

Gordon joined Everton at the age of 11 and made his senior debut as a 16-year-old in a Europa League tie in December 2017.

He topped off his superb campaign last time out by picking up the Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year honours at the end-of-season awards.