Tottenham make Everton ace their top transfer target

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is ready to pull out all the stops to bring Everton midfielder Ross Barkley to the club, reports The Daily Mirror.

Barkley will only have 12 months remaining on his existing deal at the end of the season but Everton manager Ronald Koeman has already confirmed the club have no intention of letting him go and contract talks are planned.

Tottenham were linked with a January move with the 23-year-old after Barkley’s long-term future was called into question following some tough love shown by Koeman. Despite the fact things appear to have changed this year, Pochettino still wants to bring the England international to the club in the summer.

Even with only 12 months on his contract, Everton would still reportedly demand in excess of £30m for any club to prize Barkley away from Goodison Park, which could prove a hurdle Tottenham fail to overcome in their pursuit.

Of players that have played at least five Premier League games in 2017, only Romelu Lukaku (7.93) and Harry Kane (7.86) have garnered higher WhoScored ratings than Barkley (7.41).

For more stats on Ross Barkley, click here to visit his WhoScored player page