Tottenham might return for Ross Barkley in January

Tottenham’s reluctance to sign Ross Barkley on the final day of the summer transfer window might be more savvy than it initially appeared.

With the deadline hour fast approaching, it appeared as if Tottenham were willing to let Barkley make a move to Chelsea. Rumor had it that only a last minute change of heart from the England international scuttled the transfer.

In a tweet, Barkley denied that he ever got so close to signing with any club, much less Chelsea. He went on to suggest that an injury that will keep him out for at least another two months was the ultimate deciding factor.

Whatever the truth may be, the result is that Barkley will stay on at Everton for the final year of his contract. With his injury and the level of animosity between Barkley and the club he’s desperately tried to leave all summer still high, it’s unlikely that contract gets renewed.

Which means one of two things will happen come January, as laid out in the Evening Standard’s reporting. Either Barkley will take advantage of his rights under the Bosman ruling and sign with another club effective next summer, or another club pays a much reduced fee for his immediately services.

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Both scenarios should suit Tottenham just fine. Though plenty have entirely reasonable doubts about Barkley’s actual quality — and his potential ability to fit into Mauricio Pochettino’s system — the real sticking point this summer was the astronomical fee Everton demanded for the midfielder.

After initially asking for £50 million for Barkley, Everton were evidently willing to negotiate down to £30 million as the summer drew to a close. That rumored Chelsea move would have seen Barkley move to London for roughly that sum.

Such an amount is all well and good for a team like Chelsea, but for a cost-conscious team like Tottenham it was likely a deal breaker.

That said, Spurs are not so strapped for cash that they would hesitate if offered the chance to get Barkley for something closer to £15 million. Especially if Tottenham find a way out of a difficult Champions League group — or if injuries begin to rack up — such a sum would represent a bargain January deal.

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Even if that doesn’t exactly come to pass, Spurs can sign Barkley for next summer for a free. Even hardcore Barkley skeptics cannot deny that such a move would be an absolute steal.

All of which makes it likely that the Barkley-to-Spurs rumors are far from over.