Spurs delay could scupper Barkley deal

Tottenham Hotspur run the risk of seeing their interest in signing Ross Barkley hijacked as chairman Daniel Levy waits for Everton to drop their price.

Barkley is one of Mauricio Pochettino’s top targets this summer and Spurs remain at the front of the queue for the midfielder.

But Chelsea and Manchester United are also monitoring the situation and Tottenham run the risk of seeing Barkley join one of their rivals the longer they wait.

Everton have put a £50million price tag on the head of Barkley, which is unlikely to be met by any of the player’s suitors as he enters the final year of his Goodison Park contract.

But Chelsea and United could comfortably pay Barkley over £100,000-a-week if his price tag comes down later in the window, which presents a dilemma for Levy.

The longer the stand-off goes on, the more chance Barkley’s price will drop but the likelihood of Chelsea or United becoming more interested increases. Everton would welcome a late bidding war breaking

In demand: Ross Barkley could be tempted by a move to Chelsea or Manchester United out over Barkley as it would strengthen their own position.

Tottenham’s main advantage remains the fact that young English players have flourished under Pochettino at White Hart Lane in recent years. Barkley, 23, knows several members of the Tottenham squad well from England duty and has been impressed by what he has heard about Pochettino.

United’s squad still lacks some creativity from midfield and it has not gone unnoticed by manager Jose Mourinho that Barkley linked particularly well with new signing Romelu Lukaku at Everton.

Barkley has undergone a hernia operation which will sideline him for about a month but that is unlikely to derail any potential move.