Everton boss Ronald Koeman has warned Tottenham that £50m-rated target Ross Barkley won’t be allowed to leave on the cheap this month.
The 23-year-old has refused to sign a new contract with the Toffees and is adamant about joining a club with Champions League football, with Spurs heavily linked with a swoop.
As of yet, no agreement has been reached over a potential transfer, with Koeman revealing that an offer hasn’t even been submitted and has sent a warning to Tottenham if they are planning to make one before the end of the transfer window this month.
“No, of course not [allowing him to go cheap],” he told the media, as reported by The Daily Star.
“We have the experience of what we need to pay for players who came here and had one year of contract.
“If there is a club thinking, ‘We can wait until the last day and we put some money on the table and we get Ross Barkley’, sorry, you do not get Ross Barkley.”
As noted in the report, Everton value the England international at £50m, although it’s widely noted that they may have to drop those hefty demands slightly if they wish to receive offers before the window closes.
It remains to be seen what figure could test their resolve though, and with Tottenham already under pressure with regards to spending power and wage structures, it’s unclear if they could even afford Barkley’s price-tag despite selling Kyle Walker to Manchester City for big money this summer.
It’s a tricky period for Mauricio Pochettino, but he’ll be hoping to add some new faces for the new season to strengthen Tottenham’s position and to build on their performance in the last two campaigns.