Tottenham have reportedly made a tentative enquiry for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, who is being increasingly seen as an attacking midfielder who will complement Harry Kane. Barkley has been in and out of the Everton team under Ronald Koeman and the Dutchman has criticised Barkley on several occasions this season, and it is clear that he is yet to win the faith of the manager. Even though he put in an impressive performance in the 2-1 win over Arsenal, Koeman would still take a long time to trust the 23-year-old.
Barkley has been linked with a move to the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea for several years. Unlike Jack Rodwell who managed to move to City and then to Sunderland, Barkley has remained at Goodison Park only to see those rumours die down slowly. Now, though, Standard Sport has reported that Spurs are looking to take the advantage of Koeman’s uncertainty when it comes to Barkley.
Since the English midfielder is out of contract in the summer of 2018, Spurs sniff a chance of getting the player for much less than his valuation of €35 million. Barkley signed this contract in 2014 and it is reportedly worth around £65,000 per week. Given the situation with the manager, it looks highly unlikely that Everton may give him a new deal anytime soon even though it puts the club at a major risk of losing the player on a Bosman.
Interested clubs would have to come out with a £35 million offer in January in order to stand any chance of signing Barkley. However, this figure will see a substantial reduction come the summer if the players still remains a contract rebel.
Dele Alli is one of the latest English talents to make it big at White Hart Lane. Christian Eriksen slowly seems to be rediscovering the form that persuaded the club to pay £12 million in 2013. However, Mauricio Pochettino is of the opinion that the club could do with another attacking midfielder who will take the goal scoring pressure away from Harry Kane. The England striker was disappointing in the 1-0 loss against Manchester United last weekend, as he was largely isolated up front.
Signing a player like Barkley would mean a major step ahead in terms of improving the squad strength. He may be only 23, but Barkley already has more than 100 appearances under his belt and not to mention the England appearances in the World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016 squads. He made his debut for Everton in 2011 with his England debut coming two years later. Barkley is also likely to appreciate a move at this stage in his career. He appears to have hit a wall in recent seasons and a change of scenario could prove beneficial.
