Everton midfielder Ross Barkley looks set to leave the club this summer.
On Wednesday, Everton manager Ronald Koeman told BBC Sport that midfielder Ross Barkley will 100% be leaving Goodison Park this summer – and that may just give Spurs the perfect chance to swoop.
Barkley, 23, has come up through the ranks with the Toffees, becoming a key first-team player since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, as he now boasts almost 200 appearances for the club.
The playmaker has long been regarded as one of English football’s top young players, but his inconsistency has frustrated many, with Everton boss Ronald Koeman taking a hard stance with him last season.
Ross Barkley of Everton celebrates scoring
Barkley did hit five goals and eight assists in the Premier League, but he now looks set to leave Everton having so far refused to sign a new contract to stay at Goodison Park.
Barkley’s current deal expires next summer, meaning that he could leave for free in a year’s time – or be sold by Everton this summer, which looks to be the most likely course of action following comments made by Koeman on Wednesday.
Koeman told BBC Sport that Barkley will be leaving Goodison Park this summer having admitted that he needs a new challenge, and Everton will now have just over a month to get him off their books.
Koeman’s comments may just leave Tottenham Hotspur in a strong position to land Barkley, with the London Evening Standard reporting that Spurs remain keen on signing the midfielder this summer.
Everton’s admission that Barkley is leaving means that Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy should now be able to drive the price down on a deal for Barkley, with his potential price tag surely lower that it would have been a month ago.
Head coach Ronald Koeman of Everton is seen during a preseason friendly match against FC Twente
Levy loves to leave deals late in order to get the best deal for Spurs, and that brinkmanship could come to the fore again here. Spurs now know that Koeman doesn’t want Barkley at Goodison Park unless he signs a new contract, and with just a month to sell him, everything appears to be playing into Tottenham’s hands.
Another club could of course arrive to make a bid for Barkley, but Spurs appear to be the favourites right now – and Koeman’s comments should give Tottenham hope of striking a deal before the transfer deadline, with Everton growing increasingly anxious that Barkley could walk for free in 2018.
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