Everton outcast Ross Barkley is hopeful of receiving bids after his price tag was reportedly dropped to £35 million, according to the Mirror.
Tottenham Hotspur is heading the short list of suitors vying for his signature. The Toffees have been reluctant to let Barkley join the Lilywhites by slapping a price of £50 million on the England international.
Contract rebel
After deciding to reject the new terms offered by Everton, it is an open secret that Barkley is ready to leave the Goodison Park this season. Even the Toffees’ boss Ronald Koeman has confirmed that the midfielder would move on this summer.
Tottenham were interested even last year with the player expressing an interest to work with Mauricio Pochettino. There was interest from other London clubs too with Chelsea and Arsenal reportedly joining the race.
At some point, even the Manchester clubs – City and United – were looking at signing Barkley considering the homegrown quota that he satisfies.
However, Everton’s high valuations deterred all the suitors as they initially wanted £50 million. For a player who is into the final year of his contract, that is a huge sum.
Prospect of leaving on free
The player’s wages too were a hindrance as the 23-year-old playmaker was hoping to earn £150,000-a-week.
That remains a contentious issue although the club has now decided to climb down on the asking price. Part of the reason is the prospect of losing Barkley on free next season.
The Mirror reports that Everton have now backed down on their demands and would settle for £35 million.
This should increase the chances of him moving to the White Hart Lane although Spurs value him closer to £15 million, as reported by Mirror earlier in the summer. It remains to be seen if the player also backs down on his personal demand to attract a bid.
A definite chance for Spurs
The Toffees will definitely sell the England international midfielder and he will likely be left out of their season opener against Stoke City next weekend.
With the start of the season fast approaching, fans can only hope for more concrete action in the transfer market starting with Barkley.
What do you think? Is Barkley worth £35 million?
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