Tottenham have reportedly received a huge boost in their pursuit of Ross Barkley, as Everton are said to be willing to compromise on his price-tag.
The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with an exit from Everton this summer, as he has just 12 months remaining on his contract with the Merseyside outfit with no new deal in sight.
According to The Independent, the two clubs in question have been unable to reach an agreement over a transfer fee as of yet, in large part down to Everton demanding £50m for the England international, but it’s claimed that while Tottenham prepare a fresh bid the Toffees are willing to sell and will be open to a compromise.
It’s added that ultimately Everton would rather cash in on Barkley this summer rather than lose him for nothing in 12 months time, while the potential signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson to go with the arrival of Davy Klaassen will be enough to replace him in the side next season and beyond with Ronald Koeman splashing out this summer.
As for Tottenham, it’s a been a quiet summer for Mauricio Pochettino so far with Kyle Walker’s exit the biggest deal that they’ve been involved in, and he’s said to be a keen admirer of Barkley so the Argentine tactician will undoubtedly be delighted with his possible arrival.
Chairman Daniel Levy has rightly been against spending £50m on a player in the last year of his contract, but if Everton are indeed now willing to sit down at the table and discuss a lesser fee, then it sounds as though Barkley could find himself with Tottenham before the start of the new season.