LONDON PAIR BARK BATTLE

last month that the Everton midfielder, 23, is stalling on a new contract at Goodison.

And Germany’s Ozil – who is struggling with a back injury and is a doubt for their game tonight against Azerbaijan – is adopting a similar stance at Arsenal.

But Tottenham also want Barkley and plan to link him with his close pal and England team-mate Dele Alli, in what would be an exciting midfield partnership.

The indications are that Barkley, who has only one year remaining on his current contract, is planning to quit Merseyside in a bid for Champions League football.

That makes him a £30million target for North London rivals Arsenal and Spurs but his situation also interests Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, Chelsea chief Antonio Conte and Manchester City supremo Pep Guardiola. If Everton lose Barkley in the summer, they could target Goodison old boy Wayne Rooney, 31, as a replacement in the playmaker position. Rooney’s future at Old Trafford is in considerable doubt as he has spent the season fighting for a spot in Mourinho’s starting line-up, which saw him left out by England boss Gareth Southgate. Everton are already faced with losing striker Romelu Lukaku, 23 (left) – possibly to Chelsea or United – for £60m. But if that happens, at least Blues boss Ronald Koeman would have plenty of transfer funds at his disposal to continue his rebuilding.