SPURS CHASE ROSS

Tottenham lead queue to sign Everton star Barkley

TOTTENHAM are at the front of the queue to sign Ross Barkley from Everton this summer. Everton playmaker Barkley is back in the England squad this week after hitting brilliant form in the Premier League since the turn of the year. Long-time admirers Tottenham have hardened their interest in the 23- year- old as he continues to prevaricate over his future at Goodison Park.

Everton want Barkley to extend his contract as his current deal expires at the end of next season.

And although the Liverpudlian is open to staying at his boyhood club, he said in a recent interview with Sportsmail columnist Jamie Redknapp that his

ambition was to play in the Champions League and win trophies. Tottenham have tracked Barkley since he first broke into the Everton team but have in the past harboured slight doubts about his decision-making and the speed with which he uses the ball. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has also been unsure whether Barkley could play in the same team as playmaker Dele Alli. But there is now a belief at White Hart Lane that Barkley has improved under the hard-line management of Ronald Koeman. Everton boss Koeman suggested last week that if Barkley didn’t extend his deal, the club would have to sell him this summer to preserve some portion of his value. Koeman said: ‘He needs to sign a new contract or you sell the player.’