Tottenham will not pay more than £25m for Ross Barkley, with Everton wanting closer to £50m.
The Toffees wanted closer to £50m for the midfielder at the start of the transfer window, but for a variety of reasons Spurs will only pay half that and they are correct to do so.
Ross Barkley of Everton shows appreciation to the fans as he is subbed off.
That is because, firstly, Barkley has entered the final year of his current contract at Goodison Park, a factor that generally means selling clubs reduce their price due to the risk of losing their player for nothing at the end of the season.
That would be a very realistic prospect for the Merseysiders as well, because manager Ronald Koeman was quoted in the Guardian in July as saying the England international is “looking for a new challenge” and that he “100%” expects the player to leave – the second reason Tottenham should stick at £25m.
This reduces Everton’s bargaining power, as does the fact that Barkley has played no part in preseason due to a groin injury and their hopes of securing £50m for the Englishman, even in an inflated market, look like a pipedream.
So despite having made no new signings this summer as yet, Spurs should not feel pressured into overpaying for the 23-year-old – even if that means losing out to the Blues.
If the West Londoners want to sanction a £50m deal plus wages of upwards of £100,000-a-week for Barkley then more fool them, because in truth he would be a squad player under Mauricio Pochettino and paying a club record fee for someone like that – along with the aforementioned concerns – would be madness.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino.
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