Arsenal have reportedly joined Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Ross Barkley from Everton in the summer.
The Daily Mirror have reported that Arsenal are ready to make a move for Ross Barkley if Everton put the midfielder up for sale in the summer. The North London club could then be set to battle other rivals from the English capital, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Barkley has established himself as a key component at Goodison Park ever since progressing through the ranks at Everton. In only his fourth full season with the Merseyside club, the 23-year-old has already notched up 170 senior appearances.
And after a tough start to the campaign, Barkley has turned in significantly improved performances for Ronald Koeman’s side, bagging five goals and seven assists in 30 matches in all competitions. But, there are concerns pertaining to his future with Everton, with less than 15 months left in his contract.
There has been little progress with regards to a renewal, and Koeman has already made it clear that the player will be sold if he does not sign a new deal. As a result, clubs are starting to make a beeline for Barkley over a move in the summer.
Chelsea and Tottenham have already been heavily linked with Barkley, but have now been joined by their London rivals Arsenal in the race to sign him come June, setting up a possible enticing three-way summer battle.
At Chelsea, Antonio Conte has Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro as his options for the two wide roles in the front three in his system. But with Chelsea set to contest in four competitions next season, a squad beef-up is imperative, with attack being one of the priorities.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have been long-time admirers of Barkley’s talents and are set to make a move for him in the summer. Like his Chelsea counterpart, Mauricio Pochettino also has a shortage of options in attack, with just Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-Min to choose from for three positions.
Arsenal are also believed to be on the lookout for attacking players, with positions likely to be up for grabs next season due to the uncertain futures of the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Lucas Perez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Barkley has a deceptively dangerous burst of pace, and is also one of the most creative players in the Premier League, making him a top target for the three clubs to consider. And while he needs to add goals to his game, playing with more attacking partners at any of these clubs could see Barkley address that problem.
Personally for the player; at this stage of his career, he needs all the games he can get to develop further and the three clubs can offer that to him next season. And with just a year left to run on his contract, he could be available for a cut-price £10 million, and it remains to be seen if he indeed moves on in the summer.
