Tottenham prepare January swoop for Premier League ace but Arsenal ready for transfer battle

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering making a move for Everton star Ross Barkley in January, although both Arsenal and Chelsea are monitoring the situation.

The England international has just 18 months remaining on his current contract, and hasn’t enjoyed the best of times under boss Ronald Koeman since his arrival at Goodison Park this past summer with just three goals and two assists in 18 appearances in all competitions.

In turn, doubts have been raised about the 23-year-old’s long-term future at Everton, with The Telegraph reporting that Spurs were lining up a summer move for him but believe that Koeman could be willing to sell for the right price in January.

If true, it will be a major disappointment for most Everton supporters who would have been desperate for the youth team product to excel for the club having come through the system and made such impressive progress through his early years.

Nevertheless, the report adds that Barkley’s priority is to continue working hard to hold down a regular place in the starting line-up as he wants to remain on Merseyside and put any talk of an exit on hold until the summer when there is a clearer picture about his future.

As noted above though, he won’t be short of options if he does decide to leave as Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea are all being linked with a move as per the Telegraph report, with all three clubs arguably needing someone with Barkley’s qualities in their squad.

It might make a little less sense from a Tottenham perspective given the options that Mauricio Pochettino has in that department already, but with uncertainty over the futures of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal could begrudgingly be looking for new faces.

As for Chelsea, Conte is still a little light in certain departments, and with a return to the Champions League likely next season, he’ll be looking to make plenty of moves in January and the summer.

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