Newcastle United are believed to have held talks with Chelsea over a deal to sign playmaker Ross Barkley before next week’s transfer deadline.
That’s according to a report from 90Min, who claim that Newcastle have held talks over the last week about signing Barkley.
It seems pretty clear that Newcastle are desperate to add an attacking midfielder before Monday’s deadline.
Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard appears to be a top target, whilst Tottenham Hotspur ace Dele Alli has been mentioned too.
Keeping with the theme of targeting English attacking midfielders, Barkley is another name on the list.
It’s believed that Newcastle have at least started talks to try and sign Barkley before Monday.
Barkley, 28, has started just one Premier League game this season and will seemingly never become a Chelsea regular.
Now inside the final 18 months of his contract, Barkley would surely be made available by Chelsea.
Once hailed as ‘special’ by Roberto Martinez, Barkley just hasn’t kicked on in recent years.
His decision to leave Everton for Chelsea in 2018 hasn’t paid dividends, with a lack of first-team football stunting his progress.
Newcastle would at least be able to give Barkley regular playing time and a key role under Eddie Howe.
The Magpies have big money on offer too, but a move to Newcastle could be a risk for Barkley.
Newcastle are battling against relegation, and Barkley may not want to risk playing in the Championship next season.
It seems that Lingard is the prime target, but if Newcastle can’t get that deal done, Barkley could be a key pursuit before the deadline.
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