Chelsea have made contact with Everton ahead of a potential January swoop for Ross Barkley, according to reports.
The 24-year-old snubbed the Premier League champions on deadline day in August because he preferred the idea of moving to Tottenham, where he thought he had more chance of getting regular football.
The Daily Mail reports that Tottenham still have Barkley on their radar despite not making a move for him in the summer due to his injury lay-off. But Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino overlooked the midfielder due to his spell on the sidelines, from which he is expected to return in two weeks.
As per the report, Chelsea have not given up on signing Barkley and have made contact with Everton over what it would take to sign him in January.
The England international has not played a single game for the Merseysiders this season due to a serious hamstring injury. But with the attacking midfielder nearing full fitness, Pochettino remains interested.
Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is also looking out for ways to bolster his squad in January and will not step behind in his pursuit of Barkley. He made contact with Everton about the possibility of signing the 24-year-old, which clearly shows he is finding answers on how to lure him away from Goodison Park.
Our gaffer is keen to bring in midfield reinforcements to ease the workload on Cesc Fabregas and Barkley is among the Italian’s priority targets.
Barkley is out of contract at the end of the season and can sign a pre-contract deal with overseas clubs, starting from next month.
If Everton are to make any money from the Englishman, manager Sam Allardyce will have to sell him in the upcoming January transfer window or else Barkley could leave in the summer, for free.
Coming to Chelsea, it could be a big risk for us to splash the cash on Barkley. The midfielder has shown flashes of his talent but at 24, he should now be reaching his peak. Keeping aside the England international’s inconsistency; it will be a risk for Conte to go for the player in January as he has not yet returned from his injury.
My opinion would be to dodge this bullet and look for other alternatives.
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