Everton's deal for FC Twente midfielder Leroy Fer may be called off, after the player failed a medical. The BBC reports the Toffees are threatening to pull out of the £8.6m deal, unless the Dutch club accepts a re-structured deal to protect David Moyes' club. The 23-year-old was at Goodison Park for his medical, where problems with his knee were uncovered.

Leroy Fer (Source - FC Twente)
FC Twente

Twente are believed to be unwilling to accept future responsibility for Fer's medical condition; the midfielder was injured while on international duty with the Netherlands and missed two months of Eredivise action earlier this campaign.

"Everton have additional requirements on the method of payment. Here we do not agree so it's stuck. We don't play that game here at Twente. They can come up with any demand they wish but we're not playing along with their demands," Twente's chairman, Joop Munsterman, told De Telegraaf.

Fer has returned to Holland, while the clubs sort out the situation. The midfielder had an excellent season last year, scoring nine times in 26 appearances in all competitions, including eight in the league. This year, despite the injury, he has nine goals from 16 games. Fer has two caps for the Dutch senior team.

Should Everton and Twente come to an agreement, Fer will likely be a replacement for Belgian international Marouane Fellaini. The 25-year-old shock-haired midfielder is the Toffees' leading goal scorer this season and has attracted attention from a number of top Premier League clubs, including Chelsea and Arsenal.

Everton are presently fifth in the league, with 38 points from 23 games. Moyes' men trail Tottenham by three points and if results across the league go their way, they could move to fourth and the final Champions League qualifying position by beating West Brom, at home, in Wednesday evening's fixture.

Moyes on Home Games

Moyes has urged the Toffees to take advantage of a fixture list that sees them play two consecutive league games at home. The club will host relegation-threatened Aston Villa on 2 February and Moyes wants his side to put pressure on Spurs, who will play the next two league games on the road - against Norwich City and West Brom.

"We have worked hard to be in this strong position in the Premier League. We are slightly disappointed that we drew the last two games but, in the same breath, it has not put us in any worse position. We have now got a couple of home games and we have to try and take advantage of it," the Scot said to the club's Web site.