Tottenham Hotspur continue to be linked with a move for Everton’s Ross Barkley.
According to The Mirror, Everton have dropped their asking price for playmaker Ross Barkley to £35million – but Tottenham Hotspur are still unwilling to pay that price.
Barkley, 23, has been Everton’s most successful youth graduate since Wayne Rooney, and he finished last season with five goals and eight assists to his name as he appeared to win over Ronald Koeman.
However, the pair are at loggerheads again as Barkley has refused to sign a new contract with Everton, and has even told manager Koeman that he wants to leave in search of a new challenge this summer.
Barkley’s current Everton deal expires next summer, and given that Everton won’t want him to leave for nothing in 2018, they are essentially being forced into selling Barkley this summer despite their lingering hope that he could perform a U-turn and sign a new contract.
Now, The Mirror report that Everton have in fact dropped their asking price for Barkley to £35million given that there has been sporadic interest in his services this summer – but Spurs still aren’t ready to bite.
It’s noted that Tottenham are keen on Barkley, but chairman Daniel Levy isn’t willing to break the club’s transfer record with a £35million swoop for the midfielder, and will continue to use brinkmanship to try and push the price down even further before this month’s transfer deadline.
It’s also believed that Barkley’s wage demands are continuing to hold Tottenham back from making a move, given that the £120,000-a-week deal he has rejected at Everton would make him Spurs’ highest earner ahead of Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane.
It remains to be seen whether Spurs do eventually strike a deal, but with Everton dropping their price ahead of the transfer deadline later this month, Levy may well feel that he has Everton where he wants them.
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