Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Everton’s Ross Barkley.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has told ESPN that he ‘cannot confirm’ if the club are interested in Everton midfielder Ross Barkley or not.
Spurs remain the only Premier League club not to make a signing this summer, with Pochettino so far resisting the temptation to dip into the market whilst his rivals splash the cash.
However, having sold right back Kyle Walker to Manchester City earlier this month, Pochettino may now have some more cash to work with in the transfer market, with just two weeks to go until the start of the Premier League season.
One of the strongest links throughout the summer has been with Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, who is expected to leave Goodison Park before the end of the transfer window next month.
Barkley, 23, has come up through the ranks with Everton and hit five goals as well as eight assists in the Premier League last season, but the England international has so far refused to sign a new contract with the club.
Given that Barkley’s current deal expires next summer, Everton don’t want to lose him for nothing in 2018 – and are effectively being forced to sell him this summer to avoid that situation.
The Times reported on Friday that Spurs boss Pochettino wants to sign Barkley and convert him into a conventional central midfielder rather than a playmaker, though that would require a huge improvement in his defensive capabilities.
Now, Pochettino has offered a non-committal response to the rumours, simply telling ESPN that ‘we’ll see’ what happens with Barkley as a potential target, but the Spurs boss wouldn’t confirm or deny the speculation.
“We’ll see,” said Pochettino. “That is a rumour. We’ll see in the end if it’s a reality because we’ll see what happens, but it’s another rumour now. We have different options. We’re working very hard to try to achieve our targets and we’ll see. Like other players, I cannot confirm anything,” he added.
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