Spurs and Everton are the latest Premier League clubs to be linked with Boca Juniors midfielder Barrios.
Tottenham Hotspur and Everton have potentially received a transfer boost after Boca Juniors manager Gustavo Alfaro said reported target Wilmar Barrios can leave the Argentine club.
Spanish outlet Don Balon claimed at the start of the month that Spurs are still interested in the 25-year-old, while Argentine media website Clarin say Everton want to bring him to Goodison Park.
Tottenham are in desperate need of a new midfielder, with Mousa Dembele leaving to join Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F. Meanwhile Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on Idrissa Gueye and that may see Everton act.
Both sides have been given a boost in their pursuit of the 14-time Colombia international, with Alfaro confirming that Barrios and his teammate Nahitan Nandez can leave the club before Thursday’s deadline.
“We brought in [Jornan] Campuzano and [Ivan] Marcone because Barrios and Nandez are leaving,” Boca boss Gustavo Alfaro told Fox Sports, as quoted by Football Italia.
“They’re still here, but they can leave. We have a problem with our foreign quota. That’s why it seemed like the best solution.”
Argentine outlet TyC Sports claimed just last week that AS Roma had made a loan-to-buy offer for Barrios, with a permanent clause inserted in the summer worth £18.2million.
Barrios has been linked with a move away from Boca after shining in the World Cup, before Colombia were knocked out on penalties by England. It remains to be seen if a move will be engineered before Thursday’s deadline.
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