The future of midfielder Ross Barkley continues to be under a cloud of doubt with the player refusing to sign a new contract with Everton. Ross Barkley has been rated as one of the top English talents to have come through in the last couple of years.
Even though the midfielder has faced criticism for his lack of consistency, there are clubs interested in signing the player, who made 9 assists and scored 5 goals in just 36 league appearances last season. The most attractive element about Barkley is that he has just 12 months left on his contract. As a result, clubs stand to sign the player for much less than his transfer valuation.
Spurs have been credited with a long-standing interest in the £18.70m rated Englishman, but manager Mauricio Pochettino has not made an official offer for the player so far.
The wealth of talent in the midfield seems to be one of the reasons, but the club are aware that strengthening needs to be done in almost every area of the pitch in order to challenge for a trophy, and not just be happy with a top-4 finish. Barkley is one of the players who will be able to replace Dele Alli or even play alongside the 21-year-old when required.
Former Spurs defender Graham Roberts wants Pochettino to sign Barkley in the summer transfer window. It was reported that Barkley turned down an offer worth around £140,000 per week from Everton. While we are capable of matching these wages, it appears that the contract is not the stumbling block towards signing a new deal. Barkley has not felt any love from Everton in the last couple of years, while he also seems keen on playing in the Champions League.
Roberts believes that Barkley can take his game to the next level under the guidance of a top coach like Mauricio Pochettino. He tweeted:
People keep asking me who I want us to sign I think poch likes @RBarkley20 very much and potentially can make him world class player imo
— Graham Roberts (@GrahamRoberts4) June 13, 2017
Tottenham have been linked with the playmaker for much of the 2016-17 season and signing Barkley makes sense at the moment.
