• USA forward is too expensive, says Goodison manager
• £10m price tag deters cash-strapped Premier League club

David Moyes has ruled out bringing the USA captain, Landon Donovan, back to Everton on a permanent basis because the club would be unable to afford him. The Everton manager admitted he would like to re‑sign the forward, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at the club last season and has expressed a desire to return, but he claimed the financial constraints at Goodison Park have made it impossible for the transfer to happen.

Donovan, who is valued at around £10m, said last week that he “would love to go back to Everton”, where he spent two months earlier in the year, scoring twice in 13 appearances. Those comments will have been well received by Everton supporters, who quickly took to Donovan, but any hopes they had of seeing the 28-year-old LA Galaxy forward this season have been extinguished. The Everton manager, who has signed three players this summer but paid out only £1m in transfer fees, claimed Donovan is well beyond their reach.

Moyes also suggested that unless the club’s financial position changes – Bill Kenwright, the Goodison Park chairman, is continuing to search for new investors – Everton are likely to be among the lowest spenders in the Premier League this season.

“We’d love to have Landon but he looks too expensive for us and we just don’t have it,” said Moyes. “We don’t have the finances. The price they want for him is very big and it’s an additional problem because of his age. All we’ve done is spend £1m on [new signing] Magaye Gueye so far. Jermaine Beckford and [the Slovakia goalkeeper] Jan Mucha were free, so we’ve spent no money by Premier League standards and will probably be the ones who spend the least this season.”

Moyes has admitted that signing Beckford, who arrived on a free transfer from Leeds United and has never played in the top flight, was a gamble, but he believes it was one that Everton had to take. “Sometimes people in life need opportunities and we’re going to give Jermaine that opportunity to see if he can score goals in the Premier League,” the Everton manager said.

“He can certainly do it in the lower leagues and from what I’ve seen, I can see how he is a goalscorer. He’s looked fantastic in training. Whether he can step up to the big league, we don’t know. It was a

• Everton manager hopes to secure deal before World Cup
• Spurs linked with South African after agent hints at exit

David Moyes has defended Everton’s efforts to keep Steven Pienaar and believes the influential South African could commit his future to Goodison Park before this summer’s World Cup.

Pienaar enters the final year of his current Everton contract at the end of this season and protracted negotiations over an extension prompted his agent, Ivan Modia, to claim this week that the 28-year-old could leave. Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with the former Ajax and Borussia Dortmund midfielder and there is interest from several European clubs in a player who will feature prominently in South Africa’s World Cup campaign.

Moyes, however, has rejected Modia’s claim that talks “have not been an intense process” and is confident Pienaar will extend his career at Goodison. The Everton manager said: “I am quite comfortable with the situation. It is moving along in the right direction. There has been quite a lot of discussion recently, which is one thing that was highlighted this week that wasn’t quite right. Steven is our player. It wouldn’t worry me if the negotiations went beyond the World Cup but I am quite confident that something will happen before then.”

Another Everton player with an uncertain future is Philippe Senderos, who has made only two starts since the club took over the remainder of his Arsenal contract in January and becomes a free agent in the summer. The Switzerland international has struggled with injury at Everton and, although a free transfer is an attractive option to Moyes, the 25-year-old has still to convince the manager he should be offered a permanent deal.

The Everton manager said: “We will wait until the end of the season and make a decision then. Even though he hasn’t always played, Philippe has fitted in well and is very positive around the place. The size of our transfer budget will have an influence and we will see what we can do.”

Everton entertain Fulham tomorrow without John Heitinga, who has suffered a hairline fracture to his ankle and may not play again this season, although he will be available for the World Cup. On Fulham Moyes added: “Roy Hodgson would get my vote for manager of the year. His performances this season with the resources he has available have been excellent.”

EvertonDavid MoyesPremier LeagueAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk