Chelsea are set to rival Tottenham for Everton’s Ross Barkley in January despite the breakdown of his deadline day move to Stamford Bridge.
Ross Barkley of Everton celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Watford
According to the Times, Chelsea will make a second attempt at signing Ross Barkley in January after failing to land the Everton man on deadline day.
Everton and Chelsea reportedly agreed on a £35 million deal for the 23-year-old on deadline day, but the midfielder decided against the move at the last minute (according to the Guardian).
Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur
The move surprised quite a few, including the Everton hierarchy, which led majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri to call the decision a ‘big surprise’. Moshiri also confirmed that Ross will be reevaluating his position in the winter transfer window, with interest from Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham (according to the Guardian).
The report also suggests that Ross Barkley pulled out of a deal to sign for the Premier League champions due to the non-involvement of manager Antonio Conte. However, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are of the opinion that Barkley’s refusal was due to the player wanting more time to consider his future rather than his unwillingness to sign with the 2012 Champions League winners.
Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea
According to the Metro, Tottenham is the preferred destination for Ross Barkley, but as seen in the last transfer window things can change very quickly. Everton are likely to hold out for £15 to £20m for the England international (according to the Liverpool Echo), a fee although steep for a player in the last six months of his contract, could represent an attractive prospect given the resources available to both clubs.
Rest assured it will be an interesting 1 month for Ross Barkley when the January window reopens.
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