Ross Barkley to join Tottenham Hotspur in January?

Tottenham Hotspur will reportedly have the advantage in the pursuit of Ross Barkley when the transfer reopens in the New Year.

The Everton midfielder was said to be on the cusp of joining Chelsea on transfer deadline day with the Toffees having agreed on a £35m deal.

However, the England international had a change of thought prior to his medical, and he decided to stay put at Merseyside to recover from his hamstring injury.

According to The Star, the Blues will miss out on Barkley in January with Spurs likely to retain their interest in the attacker. Mauricio Pochettino's side were reluctant to match the Toffees' asking price over the summer, but they intend to secure a cut-price deal for Barkley midway through the season.

Barkley is likely to be out until the festive period at least as he recuperates from a hamstring tear sustained while training last month. Ronald Koeman has previously stated that Barkley would be welcome back to the first-team setup although he has to compete with the likes of Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson for a starting spot.