As Ross Barkley’s perceived value continues to plummet after picking up a hamstring injury, Chelsea and Spurs continue their dance around the English midfielder, with the latter readying a £20m bid (+£8m in add-ons) following a summer-long pursuit and the former lying in wait and mulling over a few options.
Tottenham prepare £20m Barkley bid but still face competition from Chelsea #thfc #cfc https://t.co/ISlqbCQ8L7
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) August 21, 2017
Everton set their initial asking price at £50m for Barkley while spending almost the same amount, £45m, to acquire Gylfi Sigurdsson from Swansea. But, as it turns out, no one was willing to pay £50m for Barkley, not even in this market. Spurs may have been willing to do business at £30m, but with Barkley now expected out for three months, that limit dropped to just £20-25m.
And at that price, apparently Chelsea are willing to consider at least a cheeky bid to provide competition and possibly score a bargain in the process. At today’s prices, £25m for a once highly promising 23-year-old homegrown midfielder, even at £100k weekly wages, could indeed be a smart move, with the added bonus of gazumping Spurs in the process. For once, the waiting game could pay off for either side.