Tottenham round-up: Barkley interest confirmed; Wimmer set for exit; defensive duo targeted

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Tottenham’s interest in want away Everton and England midfielder Ross Barkley has been confirmed today, according to reports coming from The Sun.

It is thought that Tottenham are currently monitoring the situation of the 23-year-old and are beginning to seriously consider making an offer to tempt him away from Merseyside and to London.

Yet, as the Mirror reported last month, Everton are happy to listen to offers as long as they can match their own £50 million valuation of Barkley, a price that Spurs aren’t prepared to get close to.

Barkley still has a year left to run on his current contract at Goodison Park but, after falling out with Ronald Koeman and ignoring his contract ultimatum, his time looks to be running out fast at Everton.

With the addition of Ajax’s Davy Klaassen already in the bag, and a desire to bring in Swansea’s creative maestro Gylfi Sigurdsson – reported by the Daily Post – it seems Barkley is on his way out.

Meanwhile, the Mirror has reported this morning that Tottenham are increasing their efforts to off-load underwhelming centre-back Kevin Wimmer this summer.

After failing to assert himself as a first-team player in the current Spurs side since arriving from Bundesliga outfit Cologne two years ago, there’s little chance he’d feature much next season too.

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And with boss Mauricio Pochettino looking at bringing in new recruits to add further strength in depth to his defensive line ahead of a busy campaign, Wimmer could be used to balance the books.

The report claims that the North London club have set a £20million estimation on the 24-year-old defender and – despite no formal offers yet – it is thought German clubs may have already enquired.

Wimmer has only managed 29 appearances in all competitions since arriving in England, struggling to make a dent in a stubborn defence that includes Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld.

The same report in the Mirror has outlined two potential replacement for the Austrian defender should he indeed leave White Hart Lane this summer, with two English centre-backs on the radar.

It is understood that Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson and Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson have caught Pochettino’s eye after impressive performances last season and he’s keen to secure one of the duo.

In the case of Gibson the report alleges that there has already been interest shown from the likes of Leicester City, Stoke City and West Brom – but Middlesbrough are hesitant to sell despite relegation.

Yet the lure of Champions League football and a Premier League title race – something that neither of these other sides can offer – is something Pochettino hopes could persuade him to make a move.

It’s a similar situation as far as Mawson is concerned too, with Swansea City boss Paul Clement not looking at selling his best players after the Swans narrowly avoided relegation at the end of last year.

However, with the ex-Barnsley man excelling at the European Under-21 Championships in Poland last month he might be looking for a big move to boost his prospects of an England debut in the future.

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