With Romelu Lukaku all but officially gone, Everton can now turn their attention to midfielder Ross Barkley.
Everton have finally resolved one of their lingering issues, with Romelu Lukaku reportedly set to move to Manchester United. And while the Blues won’t get the £100 million they apparently asked for, £75 million still represents a profit of £47 million in just three years.
Now, Everton can concentrate on settling their other outstanding issue, namely Ross Barkley. With the midfielder refusing to sign the contract extension offered to him, he has effectively told the club he wants to leave – much the same way as Lukaku did.
Barkley was not exactly offered chump change either, with Everton proposing a weekly deal of £100,000, which would have made him the highest paid player in club history. With this in mind, manager Ronald Koeman issued an ultimatum to sign the contract before the end of May, or the youngster would be sold this summer.
While the club and fans would prefer the 23-year old stays, Koeman’s old-style, no-nonsense approach to managing is refreshing. The former Dutch international clearly doesn’t see the point in keeping someone around if they don’t want to be there, no matter how talented they are.
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Understandably, Everton would like to settle the situation before the start of the new season. However, they may only have themselves to blame for any hold up in resolving matters.
As reported by Nick Howson of www.ibtimes.co.uk, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Barkley. The only problem is, they are not prepared to match the £50 million valuation placed on him by Everton.
To put this figure in perspective, consider that Raheem Sterling is currently the most expensive English footballer in transfer history. Manchester City paid £44 million for the winger, two years ago. (The fee could still reach £49 million, based on add-ons.)
Now, is Barkley worth £50 million? Of course not, but this is nothing unique in the (fantasy) world of professional football.
As such, we are now at a point of asking who is going to blink first – Everton or Tottenham? One factor to consider, is that Barkley has only one year left on his current contract and the Blues do not want to risk losing him for nothing.
Will Everton lower their demands, just as they eventually did with Lukaku? Probably, but they will hold out as long as they can, knowing full well that Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is a longtime admirer of the Liverpool-born player.
Another aspect which could work in Everton’s favour, is there are other teams also interested in Barkley. The longer Spurs stall, the more they risk allowing another club to swoop in to sign him.
Overall, we should still expect this saga to end sooner than later. Everton need to put this behind them, to concentrate on an exciting new chapter in the club’s rich history.
Next: Everton better off without Romelu Lukaku
Do you think Everton will get the £50 million that are asking for, or will it end up being less? Further, will Barkley end up joining Spurs, or go elsewhere? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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