Ross Barkley has had quite a season so far. The 20-year-old Everton midfielder most recently scored the gamewinner in the Toffees’ 2-1 win over Swansea on Sunday with astunning free kick. He’s also already been capped three times by England this year, and looks set to go to the World Cup next summer, barring injury. In fact, Barkley has made such a hugeimpression on the Premier League’s heavyweights, that they might be tempted to move for the youngster during the January transfer window.
But Everton boss RobertoMartinez says there’s absolutely no chance of a Barkley transfer anytime soon. The Spaniard is so adamant that Everton is the right place for Barkley’s development that he’ sprepared to reject a Gareth Bale-like transfer of over $132 million.
“Ross is in a moment of his career where, first, he knows that he needs to carry on developing andthis is the perfect place to do that,” Martinez said. “And, second, he is a mad Evertonian and enjoying every single second. Then, third, we are in the middle of a season where we would never, everconsider disrupting what we have got in our squad. It is not the right time for the player or the club to consider anything. Even if we got a Gareth Bale-size valuation we would never even consider itin January.”