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Tottenham and Everton are making significant progress on Ross Barkley deal

By Rucker Haringey

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 30: Ross Barkley of Everton and Marcos Alonso of Chelsea battle for possession during the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on April 30, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 30: Ross Barkley of Everton and Marcos Alonso of Chelsea battle for possession during the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on April 30, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Everton have dropped the price for the Tottenham target

Tottenham and Everton aren’t quite in agreement over a deal for Ross Barkley, but the two sides are getting closer. The recent revelation that Barkley could be available for a reasonable transfer fee has made a potential deal more likely than ever before.

Reports from England allege that the Toffees have dropped their asking price to just £25 million. Somewhat surprisingly, Spurs aren’t willing to go quite that high to sign the English international. The fact that Barkley only has one year left on his current contract and is looking for a substantial wage hike is still a complicating factor.

While quite a few Tottenham fans on social media seem to hate the idea of adding Barkley to the squad, I still believe it would be a wise investment. He’s just 23-years-old and he has a lot of career growth ahead of him. There’s no better manager for Barkley at this point in his career than Mauricio Pochettino.

Some fans do justifiably wonder how Barkley would fit into the current squad. In my estimation, he’d join Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-Min, Dele Alli and hopefully Erik Lamela in the attacking midfield rotation. Adding him to the mix would help guard against injury while also providing players the opportunity for regular rest. That could prove invaluable down the stretch.

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Barkley’s addition would also allow Pochettino to field a much stronger bench. Whichever attacking midfielder wasn’t in the starting XI on the day could be the top plan B off the bench. The lack of support from reserves was a challenge for Spurs last season.

It’s also very possible that Barkley could get some minutes in the defensive midfield against certain opponents. On several occasions last season Pochettino selected double-pivots that were simply too defensive. Barkley could partner with the likes of Moussa Dembele, Victor Wanyama or Eric Dier to forge a more balanced duo.

Next: 5 reasons Tottenham should sign Ross Barkley

The simple truth here is that purchasing an England regular for just £25 million is a bargain any way you look at it. the fact that Everton are becoming a lot more reasonable with their transfer demands gives Tottenham an opportunity to swoop in and take advantage of the situation. Time will tell if Daniel Levy loosens the purse strings enough to make the deal a reality.

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