Tottenham to rival Chelsea for Everton ace

 

Tottenham are preparing summer moves for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, according to The Daily Mirror.

 

Mauricio Pochettino holds a long-term interest in both players and is keen to add more talent to his squad following an underwhelming recruitment drive last summer.

 

However, Tottenham are expected to face competition for Barkley from at least Chelsea, with their London rivals reportedly weighing up a £100m swoop for Barkley and Romelu Lukaku at the end of the season.

 

While Barkley’s signature is perhaps not a priority for Tottenham at the moment, signing someone with Zaha’s characteristics is perhaps more pressing.

 

Given Erik Lamela’s lengthy injury lay-off, coupled with Moussa Sissoko and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou’s failings this season, a trusted winger would certainly give Pochettino more options in attack.

 

Tottenham to rival Chelsea for Everton ace

 

Zaha was denied the chance to join Tottenham last summer and Pochettino’s side are now expected to firm up their interest in the Ivory Coast international again this summer.

 

Of players that have started at least five Premier League games in 2017, only Romelu Lukaku (7.93) and Harry Kane (7.86) have garnered a higher WhoScored rating than Barkley (7.74).

 

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