City ready to spend big on Ross Barkley next summer.
Manchester City are lining up a shock transfer move for next summer already, despite the window only having been closed for a number of weeks, with a £35m move for playmaker Ross Barkley on the cards for Manuel Pellegrini according to reports from the Daily Star.
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Barkley is current out injured and is set to miss a significant part of this season, but is likely to return for Everton for the final months of the season and potentially to play for England at the U21 European Championships next summer, as long as Gareth Southage’s men can come through a play-off.
The report suggests that City have been long-term admirers of Barkley and tried to lure the talented playmaker away from Everton this summer, only to be told that the Toffees valued the England international at around £50 million, a figure that City felt was not a reasonable one.
However, City do feel that a deal may be able to be done at around £35m, particularly as Barkley is unlikely to have a second stunning season under his belt as it may take some time for the former Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday loanee to overcome his injury and return to the form of last year.