Chelsea have moved for Everton ace, will Tottenham respond?
Everton are hoping Tottenham Hotspur will make a late bid for Ross Barkley, The Telegraph report.
Chelsea have submitted a £25 million offer for the England international.
The Toffees are deliberating whether to accept it, having climbed down on their excessive £50 million demands earlier in the transfer window.
Spurs have been favourites all summer for the Everton midfielder, who has just one year left on his contract and is refusing to sign a deal deal.
Everton are still harbouring hope of a late bidding war for Barkley, and believe Tottenham could return with a late offer to try and usurp Chelsea’s interest.
Spurs could try to match Chelsea’s offer, but the problem is the Blues are capable of outbidding them again.
Tottenham will not want to get into a bidding war with their super-rich London rivals.
Chelsea will also be able to offer superior wages to Spurs, who are unlikely to even put him among their highest earners at £100,000 per week.
Barkley’s injury which will keep him out for at least two months complicates matters, and Chelsea are in the driving seat.
Tottenham may simply now decide it is not worth the bother and focus elsewhere, leaving Everton with the simple choice of whether to accept Chelsea’s offer or not.
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