£35m fee and £100k-a-week wages to deny Mauricio Pochettino signing top Tottenham target

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Tottenham could reportedly be forced to give up their pursuit of Ross Barkley, with his price-tag and wages potentially pricing them out of a move.

With Mauricio Pochettino yet to see a single new signing arrive this summer, concern and anxiousness is growing at Spurs over the wait to strengthen the squad.

According to The Sun, Barkley has been a top target for Tottenham for some time, but Everton’s £35m valuation, coupled with the fact that he was offered just over £100,000-a-week by the Merseyside outfit, has led to the report noting that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will think twice before launching a raid.

Pochettino is said to be a huge fan of the 23-year-old England international, but Tottenham have a well-publicised wage structure and transfer budget in place, and they have refused to follow the paths set by their Premier League rivals in spending huge amounts on individuals.

While the Tottenham boss insisted this past week that the club will spend and bring in reinforcements, it seems unlikely that it will be Barkley who arrives to help them this coming season.

With just 12 months remaining on his contract at Everton, they could revisit their interest in a year’s time if he stays at Goodison Park for the time being, but that will not ease the concern this summer.

It’s a commendable approach to have and there is an argument that Spurs don’t really need to add much anyway as they have a quality side which has performed very well over the last two years. However, in order to take that next step, perhaps they still need to add real quality and it doesn’t look like Barkley will be offering it.

More Stories daniel levy Mauricio Pochettino Ross Barkley