Will this weekend’s season-ending clash with potential suitors Arsenal, prove to be Ross Barkley’s final appearance for the Blues? If so, Everton will, according to the Times, ask anyone who wants to sign him to stump up £50m.
There have been rumblings of discontent for a while now, and with the talented midfielder having another up-and-down season at Goodison, and only a year remaining on his contract, both parties may feel the time is right for him to move on.
Ronald Koeman has given the player a deadline of the end of the season to either commit his future to Everton or be sold – but any prospective buyers need to be warned Barkley won’t come cheap. The England squad member seems particularly popular in North London, with both the aforementioned Arsenal, and Tottenham rumoured to be at the head of the queue to sign him according to a Daily Express report.
Barkley has returned eight assists so far this season but only netted five times, compared with eight goals last year. He has had a strained relationship at times with boss Koeman, with his manager reluctant to praise him too much despite a match-winning goal against Watford last week. Koeman was quoted as saying: “It is not the time now to talk individually about a player. If you have followed me during this season I think you know the answer.”
Despite this, the overriding feeling at Goodison is that Barkley will sign a new deal and stay on, as shown by his prominence in the recent new kit launch. If he does decide to move on however, the Blues will net a large chunk of money to replace him with, and are believed to be looking at the likes of Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson and West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini to do just that if necessary.
