Chelsea have reportedly been snubbed by Ross Barkley, as the Everton midfielder could be set for a move to Tottenham instead.
Speaking to BBC 5 live, as seen in the tweet below, BBC reporter David Ornstein broke the news to the panel after one of his reliable sources informed him that Barkley had turned down a move to Stamford Bridge.
That will be a huge blow to Chelsea as it’s not the first time that the Premier League champions have been turned down by a top target this summer, and it remains to be seen now if the England international goes on to join Tottenham instead, with Ornstein adding that Spurs are keen on him too.
"The information I'm receiving is that Ross Barkley has turned down a move to Chelsea" – @bbcsport_david #EFC #CFC #DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/KApD480IwJ
— BBC 5 live Sport (@5liveSport) August 31, 2017
Speculation over Barkley’s future has been rife for weeks after his refusal to sign a contract renewal with the Toffees, but it seems as though it will go down to the wire on transfer deadline-day to see if he gets his move away from Goodison Park or if he is forced to bide his time.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are reportedly facing a race against time to get the signing of Davide Zappacosta over the line as the Italian ace began his medical at around 9pm after arriving in London on Thursday evening, according to Sky Sport Italia, as noted by Football Italia.
As reported by Gianluca Di Marzio earlier in the day, the Torino right-back is set to complete a €25m move to Chelsea, but they’ll have to speed through the formalities now to ensure that they get the relevant paperwork through before the 11pm deadline.