Tottenham Hotspur are looking to add Ross Barkley to their team next summer but will definitely not bow down to his wage demands, according to ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop.

The 23-year-old Everton midfielder is in the final year of his contract at Goodison Park and came close to quitting the club this summer. He was courted by Mauricio Pochettino for a long time but the Everton’s valuation of Barkley put off the deal.

Barkley came close to signing for Chelsea on the deadline day but decided not to go to Stamford Bridge. Two reasons for that – injury-enforced absence and preference to work with Pochettino.

It was also reported earlier in the summer that the player was looking at wages of £150,000-a-week in order to sign for Spurs. However, Sky Sports then claimed it as false. Irrespective of the authenticity of those claims, we all know how tight the wage structure is at the White Hart Lane and never were we going to offer big money to Barkley, especially given that he is yet to prove himself.

That is definitely a difficult proposition and former West Ham goalkeeper Hislop thinks the same. He believes that the England international midfielder needs to tone down his demands in order to make his preferred move to Tottenham.

“He’s got to step down from what was reportedly his wage demands in the summer,” said Hislop, as quoted by the Daily Star.

“He was widely touted to make a move in the summer but he wanted to be the highest paid midfield player on Spurs’ books. That’s not going to happen.

“I’m not absolutely certain (that he would start). I’ll put this down as a hit in that I think it happens. But he’s got to come down off his high horse a little bit to make this happen.”

Barkley is yet to feature for Everton this season due to his injury. He is expected to be fit by the end of this month which gives him enough time to get back into contention for the winter transfer window.

Will Tottenham be interested in making a bid? Pochettino rates Barkley very highly even though critics point out that the Toffees midfielder lacks consistency. There is a belief within Tottenham management that the player can raise his game under Pochettino’s tutelage and unlock his potential.

However, the club would never compromise on the wage structure which puts a question mark on the entire transfer. Barkley demanding such high wages is akin to Everton demanding £50m for a player in the final year of his contract. Both are absurd demands.

Let’s hope that staying away from action brings some sense of practicality in the player!