Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Everton midfielder Ross Barkley.
According to the London Evening Standard and the Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a blockbuster deal for Everton playmaker Ross Barkley, which could cost up to £35m.
Spurs splashed the cash on midfielder Moussa Sissoko back in August, but with the Frenchman yet to live up to his price tag, it seems that manager Mauricio Pochettino is looking for more midfield reinforcements.
Everton’s Ross Barkley
Many have criticised Spurs for lacking a game-changing player in midfield, and Pochettino appears to be keen on rectifying that problem by making a move for Everton’s Ross Barkley.
The London Evening Standard report that Tottenham have made an enquiry to Everton about a deal for Barkley, though it could cost between £25m and £35m – and the Telegraph make similar claims about Spurs’ interest, noting that chairman Daniel Levy is hoping to negotiate the fee down.
Barkley, 23, has come up through the ranks at Everton having joined the club as an 11-year-old back in 2005, with the Liverpudlian becoming a key player at Goodison Park in recent years.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman speaks to Ross Barkley as Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino looks on
The midfielder hit eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League last season, but has so far failed to recapture that form under new Everton boss Ronald Koeman, and has not only struggled with just two goals and two assists, but he’s often been left on the bench by Koeman.
With his contract running out at the end of next season, Barkley’s situation appears to have alerted Tottenham, and they’ve allegedly made their first move for the England international by making a ‘tentative’ enquiry about his availability.
A January deal looks highly unlikely, but Spurs could make a move if Barkley enters the final 12 months of his deal, where Levy’s desire to negotiate the fee down would become even more likely.
With manager Pochettino looking for greater attacking support for star striker Harry Kane, he is believed to be confident that he can get the best out of Barkley, and with a track record of improving young English players, the Everton star may well be tempted by a move to White Hart Lane in 2017.
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