West Ham United and Newcastle United target Ross Barkley has told Chelsea fans on Instagram that ‘it’s time to move on’ after he mutually agreed to terminate his contract at the club.
The 28-year-old still had one-year left on his contract at Chelsea, but he had fallen out of favour under Thomas Tuchel and he is now a free-agent.
There have been several Premier League clubs, and the two giants up in Scotland, looking at possibly signing Barkley this summer.
David Moyes’ West Ham and Eddie Howe’s fast-progressing Newcastle are two of those clubs interested – the duo have spent over £100 million each this summer.
West Ham’s man in the dugout was the one who handed Barkley his Premier League debut as a teenager back in 2011, so could he be the favourite to land the one-time wonderkid’s signature?
Well, now their life has been made easier by the fact that they only have to negotiate with the player who has 33-England caps to his name, but over the years, he has fallen off a cliff, both on the international and domestic stage.
WHO WILL BARKLEY SIGN FOR?
The issue facing Barkley is that he’s not exactly riding a wave in terms of form or performances over the years, so will that hold him back in the level of club he can sign for?
Judging by the number of clubs keen to take him on board, it doesn’t seem to be the case, but he is at a crossroads in his career.
If things go wrong for the ball-carrying expert at his next club, then it will land him into his 30s and then possibly raising the question if he is a top-tier player anymore.
When Barkley was coming through as a wonderkid, he had a lot of natural talent, the ability to take the ball up the pitch and a great technique with both feet.
But he just hasn’t risen to those heights and his move from Everton to Chelsea just hasn’t worked out, even if he was part of the squads that won the Europa League and the Champions League.
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