Chelsea have terminated Ross Barkley's contract by mutual consent. (GETTY Images)
According to transfer news on Telegraph Sport (Subscription Required), Newcastle United are planning on making a move for Chelsea fringe star Ross Barkley in January.
The Toon Army are now under the ownership of supposedly the richest owners in the league. However, while the Saudi-led consortium may have bought them out, they are yet to win their first league game of the season. Eddie Howe has quite a job on his hands as he looks to stave off relegation.
To help him do that, Newcastle are plotting their transfer targets to sign in the upcoming January transfer window. Chelsea star Ross Barkley is one of the six names they are planning on approaching next month.
The soon-to-be 28-year-old has suffered for game-time at Stamford Bridge. He sealed a loan move to Aston Villa last season but remained in West London this term. The Englishman has had the odd-run out and made the difference but has been a squad player at best.
The Blues would be competing in nearly five competitions by the start of 2022, including the FIFA Club World Cup in February. This poses a problem for Thomas Tuchel, who would need his entire squad to maintain their fitness in the second half of the season.
The frequency of the games shall be more, as would the intensity. Letting a player like Barkley leave mid-season could cut into that plan, as the English international performs well as an impact substitute.
Instead, we could use him as much as we need to this season and let him leave in the summer. That shall also allow Marina Granovskaia to bring in suitable replacements by then, if the club deems it to be necessary. The playmaker will be out of contract in the summer of 2023 and until then, we would have some say in where he wants to go.
Regardless, the London club can only make a decision if the Magpies make a formal offer next month. Until then, we can focus on not losing ground in the title race, and Barkley could play a huge role in the coming weeks. With Saul Niguez not impressing on his loan spell and N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic showing what injury can do to our midfield depth, Barkley remains an important squad player as of now.
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