Tottenham Hotspur are said to be lining up a January bid for Everton’s Ross Barkley.
According to the Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a January bid for Everton’s Ross Barkley.
Tottenham feel that they can get hold of Barkley for £20 million, as his contract expires at the end of the season.
Everton had been holding out for a big fee for Barkley, but Spurs are optimistic over their chances of picking up the England international for a cut-price.
Mauricio Pochettino is a massive fan of Barkley, and the Telegraph report that Spurs see him becoming a central midfielder.
Pochettino believes that Barkley could offer Spurs creativity from deep, and plans to partner him with Eric Dier.
Barkley’s arrival at Spurs would certainly improve Pochettino’s options in midfield, but there has be a question mark over whether it would block Harry Winks’ progress.
Winks’ rise to prominence has been marked by a call-up to the England national team for their two upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
However, if Barkley arrives it is hard to see how Winks would break into Tottenham’s starting line-up.
Tottenham already have a wealth of options in midfield – with Dier, Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele all competing for places – and Winks may end up as fifth choice if Barkley was to arrive.
Pochettino has always promoted youngsters, and may still have a plan for Winks, but on the face of it, Barkley’s potential arrival at Spurs looks like bad news for the academy graduate’s first-team chances.
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