"?Southampton manager Ronald Koeman will turn down interest from Everton in order to see out the remaining year of his contract with the Saints, according to the "?Mirror.
However, the Dutchman is reported to be prepared to wait in his role at St. Mary's and continue his good work, while seeking out a bigger club to join in 2017. Arsenal and Barcelona have been linked with swoops for the 53-year-old in recent months, given Koeman is a former Barcelona player and Arsene Wenger's current deal at the Emirates expires in 2017 too.
Less talk, more action.
Ronald Koeman urges Southampton's board to prove its ambitionhttps://t.co/e4fCJ1dHnZ pic.twitter.com/ElSVfmVvid
Southampton are hoping that Koeman will pen an extension to his current deal, though he has emerged as a top contender for the Everton job since the Merseysiders decided to sack Roberto Martinez prior to the end of the season.
Speaking to the media after Southampton's final game of the season, Koeman stated that he wanted to stay at his current club for the foreseeable future.
According to "?Sky Sports, he said: "I still have a one-year contract. I spoke to the board and we had the meeting and it's always my wish to stay because I like the club, fans and players.
"We understand every time its (the ambition) more difficult because we need to improve, and expectation will be higher than it was two years ago and if we have the same ambition again then no problem.
"But the club likes to talk about the future. I had always in Holland a one-year contract. I'm not so worried about the future. If the club likes to know about the future after next season, okay that's what we'll talk about.
"Our finishing this season is stronger than last season. What we did this season, it's maybe more than the maximum we can do as a team, and a big compliment to the players."
Everton are also interested in the likes of Frank de Boer and Stoke City manager Mark Hughes.
WATCH: Ronald Koeman confirms he's happy at Southampton amid speculation. More: https://t.co/fvmptWTVYJ #SSNHQ https://t.co/qdKO3I6RWK
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