Ross Barkley Looking For A Switch Away From Everton
Reuters / Craig Brough
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley seems all set to move out of the Merseyside after failing to meet the club’s contract extension deadline.
This move by the Englishman has put Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United on their shoes, as both parties anticipate a move by the player towards their club.
The Mirror understands Barkley failed to respond to manager Ronald Koeman’s offer of £100,000-a-week – one of the biggest deals the club has offered. The manager had indicated that a decision would be announced regarding the deal within 24 hours after the final game of the season on Sunday, but it has not been announced yet.
The Everton chairman, Bill Kenwright, has been trying to retain local talents at the club in order to maintain a connection between the players and their local fans. Although the chairman does plan to invest decent money in the summer transfer market in search for talent, the concept of maintaining a balance between homegrown players and transferred players seems to be a major matter for him.
Though the unofficial deadline set on Monday has passed, the 23-year-old would most probably be given until the end of the week to make a decision.
Barkley has all qualities of a good midfielder – dribbling, finishing, and passing. He has a sharp eye for through balls, and is also known for his long shots, which often trouble the best of goalkeepers.
The England international still has one year left on his current contract if he wishes to move past the deadline and plan for a move. If that does happen, the Goodison Park outfit won’t leave any stone unturned in an attempt to sell the player, with Koeman already having stated that they would be signing “players in Barkley’s position, whether he stays or goes, because we need more productivity in that area”.
Reuters / Peter Cziborra
Among the top targets for the Dutch tactician would be Ajax’s Davy Klaassen, who has scored 22 goals this season and has helped Ajax reach the finals of the Europa League. The Toffees are also looking at Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who is also a Tottenham Hotspur target.
Written by Srivats Venkateswaran 
Sports writer with a long experience of writing in football.Was football team head at EssentiallySports. Still deeply misses Sir Alex and Berbatov at United. An introvert at heart with a poetic hand. Engineer by choice, writer by passion.