Koeman tells Spurs: £50m or no Barkley

RONALD KOEMAN has warned Tottenham that they must be prepared to pay ‘a big deal’ if they are serious about signing Ross Barkley.

Everton’s midfielder is back in training after hernia surgery and manager Koeman, who hopes his summer-long pursuit of Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson will soon be concluded successfully, has raised the possibility of Barkley seeing out the remaining 11 months of his contract.

It is something of a change of heart from Koeman, who last month said that Barkley had played his last game for Everton. The 23-year- old wants to leave Goodison Park, having turned down the chance to sign a new contract worth more than £100,000 per week.

Tottenham lead the hunt for Barkley (below), with Chelsea also in the race. They hope to pay £25million but Everton will stick to the £50m valuation they placed on him in May with Koeman insisting Barkley will not be sold if Everton do not get the asking price.

‘I believe he will make the move,’ said Koeman. ‘If not he is a player of Everton and if he shows to me he is one of the best then it is possible he can start, like everyone.

‘We have experience of what we need to pay for players who came here and had one year of contract.

‘ If there is a club thinking we can wait until the last day and we put some money on the table and we get Ross Barkley, sorry, you do not get Ross Barkley. I have experience. When I was in Southampton we lost some players ( Victor Wanyama to Tottenham), but I am mentioning the name of no club!’ Barkley is expected to be replaced by Sigurdsson but there were claims earlier this week that talks between Everton and Swansea, which have been ongoing since mid-May, had fallen apart — the stumbling block being the size of the transfer fee. Everton have made an offer, with add- ons, worth more than £40m but Swansea are refusing to budge from their £50m valuation of the Iceland international. Sigurdsson, who will not play for Swansea against Southampton on Saturday, is the player above all others who Koeman has wanted to sign this summer but he is prepared to be patient and hopes a resolution will soon be reached.

‘It is still close,’ insisted Koeman. ‘That has not changed. I heard some rumours that the talks broke down but we are still in negotiations with Swansea. I have heard the comments of Paul Clement, the manager of Swansea.

‘Of course, everyone would like news, that it is better for us and it is better for them.

‘Everybody knows the window is difficult and it is always a game between the selling club and the buying club. But we are close. Let’s hope we get an agreement as soon as possible.

‘I’m not the right man to talk about the business. It’s not my job. I said “really soon” last weekend. Let’s wait. We’re not in a hurry but, finally, we hope to do a deal.’

Koeman is not alone in wanting the transfer completed. Swansea boss Clement said: ‘ We are at a critical stage and hope it’s going to be resolved very quickly.

‘The situation is that our club have a valuation of the player, the other club have a valuation, and at the moment the two have to meet. The objective and the aim is that at some point the two clubs will meet.’